


Taming a Garlean Beast, Tempting a Dalmascan Rose

by FinalFantasyMama



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Slow Burn, Smut, monk - Freeform, pugilist - Freeform, zenos discovers he has feelings, zenos gets his ass handed to him by a small female, zenos needs new hobbies, zenos needs to get over himself
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-30
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:27:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 62,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22482589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FinalFantasyMama/pseuds/FinalFantasyMama
Summary: WOL is a renowned prize fighter from Uhl Dahl, the star pupil of Hamon the Holy Fist. At the final battle with Zenos in the Menagerie, she defeats him totally and utterly but when he tries to take his life, she refuses to let him do so. Stating that his lack of heart and soul during their final battle was a insult. Now that he is in the hands of the Resistance as a prisoner, what is she to do with the beast? The people want his execution but the hero wants him to understand the true nature of a fighters soul and decides to take responsibility for him until Garlemald either comes to collect him, or she kills him herself.Takes place AFTER stormblood, obviously non canon, alternate ending. WOL is given a vague description and no name so readers can insert themselves!
Relationships: Zenos yae Galvus/Warrior of Light
Comments: 56
Kudos: 154





	1. The Scorching Sands of Ala Mhigo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Zenos met his end at the hands of the WOL!

The doors to the Ala Mhigan Palace fell under the bombardment of cannon fire, magic and everything else the resistance had to spare. This was to be their last stand, their last chance to liberate the homeland and now the onus was on the Warrior to end it.

Her ruffled skirt fluttered with the wind and the force of the explosion as she adjusted the gauntlets on hands and steeled her heart. Facing Zenos was not easy, even after the few times they clashed and how each fight ended in a stand off. He was such a man that evoked fear in anyone with his cold blue eyes and tall stature, his threatening aura and over bearing Garlean Armor. He was a behemoth of a figure with a nasty reputation to back it up. She would know, she had experienced it first hand.

“Good luck!” Pipin called to her as she sprinted up the fiery steps and through the main corridor of the palace. Resistance fighters followed her, taking out soldiers that got in her way, leaving an opening for her to dash through and to the throne room.

She didn’t bother to stop at the massive doorways, gilded with gold pictures and filigree, kicking it in easily with her high heels as she ran the length of the room and stopped just short of the throne, where Zenos sat waiting for her. His chin rested in his hand casually, legs crossed and looking too relaxed for what was about to happen.

He smirked at her. He had been waiting for her, anticipating her stroll into his parlor. Imagining what it might be like to be graced by her presence again and the acute stings of her punch and kicks. She had fought him well in the past, giving him some small shred of hope that he had found his match, his true beast.

Now he stood to receive her, opening his arms wide as he laughed. “Yes, Yes! Such ferocity! Such Tenacity! I am loathe to recall how disappointed I was when we first fought. But finally, finally! After bathing in the blood and offal of your enemies, finally your prove yourself worthy prey for the hunt!”

She growled at the legatus. “Don’t you dare call me prey you psychopathic freak!”

“It fills you even now, doesn’t it? The hunger, to bite down on my jugular. To feel the warmth fill your mouth and run over as your drink deep. Good, Good. That is the beast I have longed to face.”

“So you did all this to what…bait me to come here? Just so you could have your epic battle?”

“As you have sharpened your claws, I too sought newfound strength but this is not place for the final contest. Come! The heavens shall bear witness to our dance!”

“Zenos Yae Galvus, throughout all of our battles _I_ have been testing _you_.” The hero shot back and got into a fighting stance. “Through battle, a warrior bears his heart and soul to the other. Through my fists, I have shown you mine but in return I have been given nothing from you! I have been waiting and waiting to see the colors of your soul with every strike of your sword but have found nothing! Perhaps the fault is mine, that I did not express myself well enough for a man like you to understand. And so I will accept this battle, I will fight you with all of my heart, so that you may see my true passion!”

Zenos tilted his head to the side curiously. “Passion through battle….? Ah ha ha, Yes, let that be so. Show me your heart and soul through your fists! Strike me with all your hatred, all your love, everything you have! Come my fair warrior!”

She wasted no time launching herself at him, fists raised high as her gauntlet glowed with red aether.

*********************

Zenos landed with a thud onto the flower bed of the Menagerie, all of his power spent on his failed attempt to fuse with Shinryu and defeat at the hands of the Warrior Of Light. It had been a glorious fight, more so than he could ever wish for. Her agile body twisting in the air, flipping, vaulting with such grace and ease. Her legs kicking in wide circular arcs, fists punching, power flowing from her body into every attack that she landed on him, beating him to a pulp until there was nothing left, only a sliver of life in his defeated body.

Upon the red and pink daisies he laid there, unable to move or breath for a few seconds as he gasped for breath and sputtered blood all over the dainty flowers. He slowly picked himself up and staggered when he stood upright, a trickle of blood running down his chin from his lips.

The hero stood some distance away, her fists never dropping as her piercing eyes stared right back into his. How beautiful she was in her fury. How divine. His lifeless heart beat rapidly, his palms slick with sweat, and in the pit of his stomach such a wonderous feeling. As he looked at her in the haze of his stupor she was dazzling like a dream, a halo of white light surrounding her. His beast had beaten him and to his delight, he enjoyed it, he reveled in his defeat and his heart was so full he thought it would burst. It was the first time ever he found anyone so wonderous and in their battle to the death he felt it, the first inclinations of love for this warrior who consumed his heart and soul. Suddenly her words made sense to him.

“Hah hah….The hunter had indeed become the hunted…”He groaned past his pain and want of air and looked up at the blue sky, his eyes seeing it for its beauty for the first time in his life. “And yet….there is only joy. Transcendent joy that I have never known. How invigorating….how pure this feeling.”

Lyse shouted at him. “Is this what it was all about? All the meaningless death and destruction? So you could FEEL something?”

Zenos tilted his head down to look at them. “Meaningless? Men die that others may live. Those who survive are stronger for it. Not that you could ever understand. To have stood upon this great stage of fools….to have played my part to perfection…Oh this! This moment! Let it be enshrined for eternity! My heart, beating out of time….So clear…so vivid…so real!....So real….” He lifted his katana to his own throat and everyone grew tense.

“Coward!” Alphinaud shouted.

“Stop!” Lyse launched herself forward in hopes that she would reach him in time to stop his impending suicide.

Zenos eyes alighted with happiness as he looked to the hero and smiled. “Farewell my first friend….my enemy….”

The hero felt her heart in her throat and knew lyse wouldn’t make it in time, so she decided to act instead. She was much faster than the blonde anyway and before Zenoss could take his own life, she was face to face with him, wrapping her arm around his neck and pulling him up and over in a perfect arc. He landed on the back of his neck hard on the ground as the hero pile drived him into it one handed and before he could do further damage she pinned his sword arm with her knee and knelt over him, straddling him and lowering her face to his.

“Did our battle mean nothing to you?! Did It truly teach you nothing?!” She shouted right into face. “After all of this you would just give up! Like some ill bred cur you would give up! I wont allow it! My only hope was that you would see and understand the true joy of fighting not through blood shed but true battle! You would disgrace all that by taking your own life! You will not die until I say you can, until _I_ am satisfied that you have shown me all there is inside of you! From this moment on you belong to _me_!”

Zenos eyes went wide with wonder as his cheeks colored a slight pink. Her fierce countenance was close enough he could feel her breath on his lips, smell the sweet scent of flowers and her. It intoxicated him as he become acutely aware again of his attraction to her and the sudden urge to kiss her but she climbed off of him and kicked his sword aside before he could do anything and suddenly he was surrounded by resistance fighters.

“Chain him up and take him away! Put him somewhere he cant escape from and be sure to put a collar on him! Even injured he could still kill the lot of us.” General Aldynn commanded as the fallen Prince was hoisted to his feet and a strange mechanical collar was snapped onto his neck. It rendered him powerless and he could do nothing to the men that dragged him away. He turned to look at his beautiful beast as they led him away.

*************

“What are we going to do about Zenos?” The hero asked Raubahn a few days later when things had settled down. Now that both Doma and Ala Mhigo were liberated, they had several social issues to content with as well as any imperial reprisals for the Prince they captured. So far though things were quiet from Garlemald though the biggest worry was that they would come looking for Zenos once word reached them he had been defeated. As of yet, none had come and former Legatus was left to rot in the dungeons of the palace for the time being.

“What CAN we do? I don’t think any of us were expecting him to survive from that last ordeal.” The general admitted and rubbed the back of his thick neck. “Garlemald has made no inquiries after him, strangely enough and he had made no effort to escape.”

“It will sound sad but I don’t think Varis cares what happens to him. Zenos seemed to be his problem child and now that child is OUR problem.” The hero shrugged. “We may be doing him a favor by keeping him chained up here.”  
  


“Aye that may be the right of it. The majority are calling for his execution along with the Butcher should we choose to give them a trial.”

“Would that gain us anything.”

“Decidedly no, in fact we would loose two good sources of information should we choose to execute them.”

“So we just let them rot in a obliete from now till oblivion…” The hero grumbled.

The hero sighed and thought on it, actually she had been thinking about it for the past few days, feeling slightly responsible for the man despite how many times they clashed in the past. Now that she had surpassed him there was nothing he could do to harm her, though he may well try but leaving him alone to his own twisted devices was not an option.

“Give him to me. “ She suddenly said. “I know how to deal with him.”

Raubahn raised a brow to her suggestion. “You mean to take responsibility for him?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I’ll keep him chained to my side for the time being. No one else can afford to look after him so its best I do it. I have a feeling he wont object.”

“Has the Dalmascan Rose taken a liking to the Garlean Beast?”

“We can understand each other, one warrior to the other. I think I may be able to communicate with him easier then the rest of you.” She shrugged.

“Tis fine by me, but don’t let him out of your sight.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll train him to be a good doggy.” She smirked.

*************

“Heads up Prince, someone is asking after you.” Called the guard as three of them stood at the door to the cell. Zenos had been stripped of his armor and weapons and given simple peasants close to wear during his internment. His hands were chained in the front and the collar still working its magic on his body. Though his tall stature and fine face still commanded attention from all who saw him, he was incapable of doing much other than walking and eating in his current condition.

With one soldier in the front and two in the back they led up him and out of the prison, into the harsh light of a setting sun where his eyes squinted. The Palace had been retaken by resistance forces and now they moved about repairing the place, moving supplies or helping the refugees who were returning in droves. What was once a quiet husk of a civilization was once again blooming with life.

None of it meant anything to Zenos and he didn’t even spare a glance at anything going on around him, after walking a ways through the palace exterior, they came to a double door. One of the unused quarters during the time the imperials had domain over the place. The guards untied his hands and backed away leaving him to stand alone before it.

“Go on in.” One of the guards said gruffly. “She’s waiting for you.”  
  


Zenos raised a brow and turned the long door handle before stepping inside. The adjoining room was large and decorated with old Ala Mhigan wall art and furniture, once befitting the royals who dwelled in it in ages past. Glass lamps hung from the ceiling that gave low relaxed lighting as his eyes flitted to the lounging sofa on the other side. The hero sat casually, with her legs up and tucked under her, wearing silk pajamas and drinking tea from a nice china set.

She looked up at him and gestured for him to take a seat in the chair opposite her small round coffee table. “Come in and sit down, if you make any moves to upset me, I will kill you.”

He did as she asked and slowly took his seat, his eyes never leaving her as he did. “To what does a prisoner such as myself owe to your generous visit?” he purred.

“You know, I’ve always wanted to ask, if your voice always like that?” The hero asked as poured another cup and passed it to him.

“Like what?” He stared at the brownish tea in the cup, uninterested in it.

“Like your trying to seduce everyone with your husky drawl.”

“Is that what I sound like? A seduction?”

“Yup.”

He leaned forward a little. “Excellent.” He growled a little, obviously teasing her.

“It doesn’t work on me.” She said flatly.

“No of course not. I would not expect you to be a women of casual lusts but perhaps what we have between us is far deeper. Beasts call to other beasts, who else could understand you than one who walks the line between life and death, a monster such as me.”

“Now you’re talking nonsense.” The hero raised a brow and resettled herself in the chair so her legs were straight. “I didn’t call you here so you could flirt with me.”

“Then why did you let me live?”

That was the golden question. Why DID she let him live, she could have just as easily let him slit his own throat and gods know he deserved to die after all he did but somehow it just didn’t sit right with her. She didn’t consider her and Zenos anything alike, and maybe that’s why she pitied him. While he fought for the sake of violence she fought for the sake of love, the express herself through her fists, to let her soul burn with passion that only fighting could bring. It would seem that in the end, he had also been looking for the same thing but only realized it when he was near death.

He saw her hesitate and her thoughts flash past her eyes, so he seized that opportunity to lunge at her. Grabbing her wrists in his hands and wrestling her off the couch and into the carpet floor, upsetting the table as tea cups clanged to the floor and shattered.

He was suddenly on top of her, pinning her arms above her head as he lowered his face within inches of hers. “You pitied me. Such foolishness! You had me in the palm of your hands, you could have ended my life with a snap of your wrists and yet you hesitated! Did you think you could save me? Spare the life of your mortal enemy? I was prepared to exit the stage and lie in my grave!”

She stared right back into his eyes, unafraid of him. “Taking your own life would be the cowards way out, you’re anything but a coward, monster though you may be. Even someone like you deserves a better death than that and death by the hand of another warrior is the only way you can die. It must be by my hand an no others since I spared your life. You are now my responsibility.”

Zenos laughed at that. “You have stripped me of my rank and turned me into a slave, how quaint. For what other fate is there for prisoners of war?”

“I’m not Garlean.” She said sternly. “You are neither prisoner nor slave, you are now my charge. You will stay by my side until such a time comes when we can release you or hand you back to your daddy dearest in Garlemald….assuming he wants you back at all.”

“And if he doesn’t?”

“Then I guess you and I are stuck with each other.”

“How Marvelous….we could wile away they hours together, sharing stories of our exploits and conquests, a companion to the other….” he purred and she felt his breath on her face. His gold hair fell from his shoulder and tickled her cheek so that she turned her head to the side to get it from her face, showing the lovely line of her neck to him. The urge to bite down on the supple flesh had to be repressed and he breathed in the scent of flowers and soap. She had just bathed.

“Zenos….” She whispered. “You smell terrible, like a hog who just rolled in piss.”

Her critique brought him back down to earth and he frowned at her, she was looking at him again and giving him her cocky smile. “Gotcha.” She wrapped her legs around his waist and threw his weight to the side, rolling him off and snaking an arm under his elbow. Her other hand grabbed him by the scalp and she pulled back his arm into a submission hold and pined him face first to the ground. What should have been pain was something else. He gasped and bit his lower lip.

“Don’t ever touch me like that again or next time I’ll break your damn arm.” She threatened and pulled harder. He nearly cried out as heat crept up his neck. There was nothing more pleasurable than her roughing him up as no one had the gall to do it to him before. He had always been the dominator, always the strongest one, and now that the tables had turned he found that, at least in her hands, he enjoyed it.

“There’s a bath in the adjoining room. Bathe, change, and then have dinner. The collar stays on until further notice.” She commanded and let go of him, stepping back to pick up the table he knocked over and the mess they made.

Zenos took in a shakey breath and gave himself a few seconds to calm the fire in his blood before doing as she commanded.

Once the prince had disappeared into the washroom, the hero shivered slightly and straightened out her pajamas. That could have gone all sorts of wrong but part of her wondered what Zenos would have done if she didn’t resist. Probably kill her but there seemed to be something else going on behind those cold blue eyes that was not unfamiliar to a women like her. She had her suitors, her admirers and occasional lover and that glint in a mans eye that he got when he wanted something was the same in all their eyes. Good and Bad alike.

She had to admit that part of her was attracted to him, after all the times they fought…and fought and fought, there was some mutual attraction mixed in with the bloodshed and dominance they tried to exert over one another. But Zenos was definitely off the menu, she was an old fashioned girl who liked date nights, flowers and chocolates and cuddles. Beating the ever living arse out of each other and sadomasochistic bondage were not on her list of to do items. Which was a shame, because he was rather pretty to look at.

She sighed to herself and went about picking up the room as she heard water run in the other and tried hard not to think of the brute in her bathtub. Then she reset the tea pot and brewed up another batch and set up a cot for the Garlean to sleep on. If she had to keep him in her quarters he certainly wouldnt be in her bed with her.

When he finally emerged dressed in simple clothing she pointed to the table with food and the cot. “Eat and sleep when you feel like it, breakfast is always delivered to me at sunrise. If you try to set foot outside the door the guards have been notified to shoot you on sight. Other than that, keep your hands to yourself and well get along fine.” She yawned and crawled onto her bed, settling herself in the blankets and pulling out a leather bound book. She began to scribble into it with a feather pen.

Zenos glanced at the foods she had set out but couldn’t be bothered to eat anything. For a Prince he had a rather diverse palatte and had no dislikes but at the moment he felt unhungry and sat himself down in the cot set up adjuscent to the hero’s bed.

“Chronicling your myriad adventures are we?” he asked.

“If you mean writing in my diary, yes. Though its not anything interesting, just memos of what I do day to day.”

“I’m sure tomes have already been filled with your stories, enough to fill a moderate sized library.”

“Couldn’t the same be said for you?”

“I suppose. Though most of my life was within the courts of Garlemald, training and learning many forms of war and other disciplines.”

This was the first time Zenos offered anything of his private life to the hero so she glanced up from her book. “What was your life like in Garlemald?”

“Court life is rather dull, countless lessons on manners, etiquette, politics, imperial matters. My days were filled with such lessons, from the time I was a boy until 18 winters. I excelled at the art of swordfighting and had already mastered it before I was ever appointed Legatus. My very first hunt, I remember it well. I was sent out alone into the wilderness to defeat a Queen Coeurl and was not allowed to come back until I had its head, that was when I was but 15 winters.”

The hero’s eyes went wide and she turned on her side to look at the man better with a look that begot shock. “At 15 you were told to hunt a Coeurl Regina?”

“Indeed, such is the way of training for anyone who will become a legatus.”

“I guess I cant judge, at 15 I was already a colosseum fighter in Uhl Dahl.” She admitted.

“Rumor has it your spurned an invitation to the syndicate, unlike the Bull Of Ala Mhigo. The two of you rose to prominence at the same time, you going by the alias Dalmascan Rose. But while the Bull seized the opportunity to leave the ring, you remained.”

“I was never in it for the status, though that was a nice bonus. I enjoy fighting, truly, as its my way of expressing myself and all that I feel. Plus I wanted to pay back my master who raised me after my parents died. They were Dalmascan Refugees but died penniless in the streets from starvation and disease. Hamon took pity on me and rasied me within the pugilist guild. I was there for most of my life before becoming a scion.....I love fighting, truly I do. I love seeing a warriors soul burning bright, giving me their all, giving me their heart and soul in the ring. But when I fought you, both times, there was a lack of emotion in return. So let me ask you, who was it who broke your spirit? Who was it who turned you into a machine instead of a man?”

It was the Garleans turn to frown. No one had dared to ask him such things in the past and while any normal persons inclination would have been to deny it, he whole heartedly embraced her assumptions, because they were true. But his memories of how he came to be were neither pleasant nor cruel, the life if Garlean Royalty was neither easy nor hard depending on ones point of view. He had other brothers and sisters, but largely the royals kept to themselves, always suspicious of the other and always assuming that an assassination attempt was around the corner. Knocking off ones siblings was not uncommon as they tried to crawl up the ranks to the throne.

His family life then by all accounts was non existent and all he had were his tutors who acknowledged his intellect and physical abilities and poured themselves, sometimes giving their very lives, to his growth as a Legatus. These tutors were the closest thing to family or friends that he had and they were largely emotionally unavailable to him as breaching such a line betwixt royals and servants was strictly forbidden.

“I don’t consider such things to be bad.” He finally said and laid himself down on the cot.

The hero rested her chin in her hand as she really scrutinized the guy with a look of something between disgust and confusion. And then she sighed and drank down the second glass. “We have to find some common grounds, big guy, or this is going to be a very long and boring internment.”

“Your words are different, albeit a bit naïve, man should embrace violence for the sake of violence for who on this earth can tame the beasts the way man does. Think of the primals you have felled, in their weakness do they not also deserve to live as you say? After all, you are the famed Eikon Slayer, do you stop to shed a tear for all the creatures you have killed over the years?”

“Don’t play semantics with me, it wont work.” The hero snapped. “I’m not dumb enough to fall for that.”

“Then I will let you guide the conversation. What do you wish to speak of?”

“Do you have any other hobbies other than cutting people up?”

He mulled it over for a moment. He was considered a polymath by most, with proficiencies in many different forms of art, but warfare was the only one he truly enjoyed. “What else is there to enjoy but the hunt?”

“Oh I don’t know…good food, dancing, drinking, playing cards, taking care of cute animals….pick one.” The hero huffed and threw herself into her pillow. Talking to him was like to talking to a broken record and the only subject that would come up would be hunting and killing.

“What is it you enjoy warrior?”

“(y/n). That’s my real name, call me that from now on. No more warrior/hero stuff, just (Y/n) is fine.”

He rolled her name of his tongue. It was different, simple but altogether fitting for a women such as her.

“Aside from boxing and martial arts, I love dancing and singing. I wanted to train as a bard for a time and did with archers guild in Gridania. I also took dancing lessons with the dancers guild in Limsa Lominsa. I love chocolate, ice cream and cake. I love cats more than dogs, I prefer the color blue and purple, I hate romance novels, cabbage, brutish and smelly guys. Want me to go on?”

“Not if I wish to sleep, I have a feeling you could go all night telling me of your likes and dislikes.” Zenos rubbed his temples and realized just how tired he was. There no sleep to be had in a dungeon where the only thing he had for comfort was a straw mattress. The cotton cot he laid on was a small luxury compared to that, thought nothing like what he had in Garlemald. Did any of that matter though? He was not going back to Garlemald any time soon and for some reason, that thought did not bother him in the slightest.

“Good night then.” The her shut her book and reached to blow out the gas lamp on her nigh stand. Darkness settled in the room with only the moonlight shining through the upper stained glass window, it was a small sliver of light but enough that he could see her silhouette under her blankets.

The thought to try to remove the collar or escape never crossed his mind, neither did the thought of touching the warrior as she slept. She had bested him fair and square, won her rights over him, proved herself more than worthy and now he was at her mercy. He would not disrespect her with such banal behavior no matter how tempting the scent of her and feel of her was. If his beast gave herself to him willingly then he would not reject her advances or invitations, but he would not force her. It was an odd sort of code he had that he could take any women he wanted but didnt because there was no joy in taking something that was so easy nor would there be any joy in coercing her. 

And so with that already resolved in him, he closed his eyes and let sleep claim him.


	2. Mad King Theodoric's Treasure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The wol and zenos go treasure hunting!

“It would appear the crowned prince has survived his ordeal with the Warrior Of Light and is now a prisoner of General Aldynn.” Elidibus announced to Varis in the viewing room of the Garlean Palace.

“So it would.” Varis said with little interest.

“Does that not bring you happiness?”

“Not in the least. Monsters weren’t meant for thrones. The empire has suffered from his arrogance, his bloodlust and petty desires for power. Now we have lost Doma and Ala Mhigo due to his misappropriations. The savages can keep him for a time, maybe that will finally humble him.”

“Very well…..” Elidibus was slightly disappointed with Varis dispassionate disposition and had designs on Zenos which were now in jeopordy due to the Warrior’s mercies. It was a minor set back but he still had a few other aces he could toss the warriors way, perhaps even a way to get Zenos out of the picture for good so that he may use his face and body to further the ascian’s ambitions.

This would not do at all. Zenos was not _meant_ to survive that battle and until the Prince was wiped from the proverbial chest board, the Ascian’s plans could go no further. The wheels in his mind began to turn as he sought a way to remedy this situation.

********

The hero was snoring softly when Zenos woke, never in the habit of sleeping past sunrise and he sat up to see the sunlight coming in from the window. Turning to look at the hero, she was still sound asleep on her side facing him with a arm tucked under her pillow. She looked peaceful and relaxed, a stark contrast to his memories of her which were always in battle and tinted red with blood. He stood up quietly and walked to the foot of her bed to stare down at the hero, so unaware of anything and innocent in the moment.

He leaned in closer to study her features. She was pretty by hyuran standards, a simple kind of pretty, clear skin, small nose, thick brows and small bow lips. One would not get the sense was warrior by her face alone or her small stature but it was her eyes that gave it away. They always had a edge to them, a fierceness, a intensity that could not be denied. It marked her as a warrior where traditional scars could not.

He found himself leaning in closer, wanting to take in her scent one more time when her eyes snapped open. She growled and bared her teeth at the sight of him, grabbing him by his tunic and easily tossing him down onto the bed. She straddled his waist and reeled back her fist to strike him right in the face. She would have socked it right to him if he hadn’t bursted out laughing.

She frowned at the laughing Garlean whos face was alight with mirth at her expense. “Zenos. What. The Hells?” She growled through clenched teeth.

“Even in sleep you cannot deny your nature, oh wonderous beast! Do not stop there, go on and strike me! Show me your fury! I welcome it! Leave me swollen and bruised, bite me, bare your claws at me!” He smiled his ever vicious smile.

“What the heck is WRONG with you!?” She shouted. “Every thing with you is beast this, hunt that, bloody this, entrails that! Can you not just behave for one freaking night or do I need to stick you back in a prison cell?”

“I think you rather enjoy it as you could have just as well left me in the dungeon, with the collar on there is no way for me to escape.” He pointed out. “You want me near you though you may deny it. For what man could ever hope to match you other myself? Who can rival your power but me, champion of the savages?”

“I beat you the last time if you recall.”

“We’ll see if that remains so _the next time_.” He smirked.

She rolled her eyes in disgust as a knock came at her front door and it opened. Alphinaud stepped in without waiting for a reply. “Morning, If you are up to it I have discovered……Oh my…” He saw the two of them in a rather precarious pose and his face went beat red. “Am I interrupting something?”

“Indeed you are.” Zenos smiled.

“Its not what it looks like!” The hero gasped and jumped off the man as she tripped over her bed sheets and fell onto the floor.

“I….will…..wait for you outside. Arenvald wants to see you at Ralgr’s Reach if you have the time.” Alphy announced with obvious embarrassment and quickly retreated.

“Why you Garlean son of a bitch!” She shouted and threw the nearest thing, her shoe, at him. He deflected it with ease and sat up laughing his usual howling predatory laugh.

**********

Zenos was back irons and a long chain link rope that the hero had wrapped around her fist when they entered the Reach. No shortage of scowling faces turned their way when eyes set on the very man who landed half of them in either the infirmary or an early grave only a month or two before. So the hero was careful about parading him around as a prisoner, making it damn well known that she was in charge of him and the any attempts on him would not be tolerated by her.

The people bit their lips but trusted the warrior with her prisoner as she marched up to the planning tent were Arenvald awaited. At her hip, she carried the red kojin sword that Zenos at one point wielded. Her reason for having it was simple, if she needed him to do any fighting she’d let him have it but until then it would be a reminder of how he lost.

“By Ralgr its true….you really are in company with the Crown Prince!” He gasped. “I heard rumor you had taken him in but I thought it was just a crude joke. What ever has gotten into you?”

“It’s a long story, just let it be and tell me what’s up.” She rolled her eyes and pulled the chain hard, pulling Zenos closer to her so he couldn’t cause any trouble.

“I thought with all the down time we have you might want to do a little adventuring.” He suggested.

“Well twist my arm.” The hero smiled. “What did you have in mind?”

“Alphinaud has asked to to join him at the Loch to discuss the details, says he needs to keep it an utmost secret.”

“The Loch? Sure lets go.”

“You don’t really mean to bring _him_ along do you?” Arenvald eyes the prince with suspicion.

“I’m not leaving him behind the slaughter all of Ala Mhigo!” The hero defended. Arenvald sighed and shrugged as he walked away.

“Hey Arenvald, what do we have in the way of mounts?” She called after him.

“A few porter Chocobos is all.” He called back.

“Crap.” The hero cursed under her breath. One chocobo wouldn’t be enough to handle both her and a Garlean. “Gonna have to call for some help. Let’s go.” She tugged at Zenos chain and they left the reach to more open territory.

“You don’t mean to travel their on foot?” Zenos asked.

“How good are you at running?” She joked.

“You’d be surprised how adequate my stamina is…for running or otherwise.” He said suggestively.

“Sure it is.” She rolled her eyes and reached into her pocket, pulling out a small whistle that she blew on. It produced a high pitch sound that echoed off the rock walls of the area and they waited silently. “Have to warn you about my pet. He can be really excitable.”

“Hmm?” Zenos raised a brow as something large howled in the distance. The desert floor rumbled and dust kicked up as something very big and purple ran towards them. It was not just big, it was humongous, A full grown Behemoth the size of a small house bounded its way like a happy puppy down the mountain side until it skidded to a halt right in front of the hero and wagged its tail.

“Crumpet!!!!” The hero cried and hugged the massive beast, burying her face in its chest fur and giving him a loving scratch. The beast yipped and howled with glee as it sat down obediently and awaited its masters commands. She squeezed his huge maw in her hands and spoke to him in a motherly fashion. “Awwww Crumpet did you miss me? I’m sorry we haven’t seen each other in forever. You’re such a good boy! Do you want a belly scratch?”

The animal rolled over to expose its soft underbelly and revelled at the ministrations of the hero who climbed onto him, a small mouse compared to the beast and rubbed her hands over him in wide circles. Behemoths were known to be insanely territorial and temperamental but in the hands of the warrior it was like a small puppy, happy to serve her and begging for her favor. Zenos watched on with a strange expression and his lower eyelid twitched a bit. How had this women tamed such a thing?

She crawled off the creature and it rolled back over onto its legs, lowering itself so its master could mount it. She did so easily, slinging her legs around its neck and grabbing its horns as she held her hand out to Zenos. “All aboard.”

“You tamed a wild Behemoth.” Zenos stated.

“I found him as a pup and raised him near Uhl Dahl, but now that his is full grown I let him run wild to do as he pleases. He doesn’t see people as food and avoids hunters so he causes no problems. A beast may still be a beast, but with alittle TLC it can be much more.”

“Or less.” Zenos frowned. “You practically neutered him.”

“Depends on your point of view.” She shrugged. “Coming on or not?”

Zenos sighed but grabbed into her hand and mounted the beast behind her, grabbing the horns to steady himself and noting how pressed up against the hero he was in this circumstance. He tried to ignore how soft her bum was against his hips or how her head sat just under his chin. The smell of flowers wafted into his nose again.

“Onward Crumpet! To the Lochs!” She called out and the animal broke into a gallop. With every step the ground thudded and they could feel the power of the animals muscles working beneath them, powering that mighty creature forward at such a speed their hair whipped around behind them. The desert became a blur as they crossed over flat lands and mountains, tearing over the valleys as the hero guided the beast in her desired direction.

The prince had felled many such beasts in his life but never ridden on one. Such an idea to a Garlean was silly and savage. It was primitive in comparison the Garlean Magiteck Engines but the feel of the animals power and speed was admittedly enjoyable. It gave one a certain freedom and perspective you could not achieve via airship and with the small hyuran between his legs he couldn’t complain, he would not get a better chance to be physically close to her. With her body pressed up against his he marveled at how tiny she was in comparison to him and yet how right it felt to have her in his grasp.

In a span of a few minutes the animals slowed down and came to a halt at a large salt lake where Arenvald and Alphinaud awaited. They both dismounted and the hero dismissed her pet then they turned to the two other men.

“Glad you could make it! I called you out here today to investigate an old legend, that of Mad King Theodoric and his treasure.”

“Oh now we’re treasure hunters?” The hero smirked.

“Do not be so quick to dismiss such rumors for there is almost always a grain of truth to it. Below this lake we know his castle lays undisturbed and rumor had it within is a chamber filled with his pilfered treasures. I say we have a little investigation and see if there is any truth to these claims.”

“The castle is a few fulms underwater…..” The hero pointed out.

“Hence why we need you to go and see if you can find a way in. I do believe Arenvald and I can find a passage via the surface but you may find some creatures or voidsent.”

“Ah so we will clean and sweep the area first. Got it.” The hero nodded and turned to Zenos. She undid his bonds and tossed them into the sand. Then took off the sword at her hip and tossed it to him. He caught it one handed. “You can make yourself useful and slice some things up. Hope you can hold your breath a while.”

His eyes glinted at the sight of his old side arm and he tucked it into his sash. “ With the collar on I won’t be at my full potential.”

“Even with the collar on, you’re still way overpowered. Deal with it.” The hero stated and waded out into the lake. “Think you can hold your breath for a few minutes?”

“Of course.” He replied simply and followed after her.

“Deep breath then.” She instructed and then disappeared below the water. He followed after her.

“I don’t know who is more frightening, him or her.” Arenvald admitted when they were out of earshot.

“Rather I think he isn’t _as_ frightening when he is with her.” Alphinaud corrected.

********

“Oh my…….” The hero gasped as they finally entered the treasure chamber of Theodoric. Gold and gems of all colors, coins and pottery, jewelry and every manner of splendors twinkled under the light of her crystal. The far wall crumbled and Alphinaud and Arenvald arrived, roughed up a bit and dusty but otherwise none the worse for wear.

“Are you alright?” Alphinaud asked his companion.

Arenvald dusted off his breeches and sighed. “Aye…Aye everything is still attached…”

“Hello boys!” The hero waved from her perch of gold and glitter.

“Ah! Good it would seem that both our paths lead here.” Alphy smiled up at her. “We spent too much time fleeing beings both horrid and humorous. How fared you?”

“We were chased down by the Zombie Apocolyspe but otherwise ok.” She glanced at Zenos who was wiping awful from his blade and sheathed it back in its scabbard. Yup, even with the collar on he made short work of anything that came towards them, so much so the hero had little to do other than watch in awe. It was a testament to just how skilled he was. Handicap or not, no normal man could hope to out match him.

“But just look at this, look at _this_!” The hero squealed and waved her arms around at the myriad treasures before them. “I’ve never seen so much gold in one room before! Oh my god look at this crown!” She started picking up random pieces of gold wear and putting them on her. Bangles and crowns, necklaces and earrings until she looked like a gilded goddess. She sat upon a pile of gold coins and struck a pose. “What do you think?”

“By the twelve there is even more than I imagined!” Alphinaud agreed, his wide eyes surveying the room.

“I can’t wait to see the look in Lyse’s face! Thanks for believing in me you two!” Arenvald exclaimed.

“Gods!” The warrior gasped dramatically and fell back into the pile of treasure, picking some up with her hands and showering herself with it. “I want to bathe naked in a bathtub of gold and gems.” And then she kicked her feet giddily and rolled around like a cat high on catnip in her pile of sparkles.

Zenos watched her and knew the appeal riches had on females and while the hero certainly was on a level of her own, she was prone to such wanton desires as well. He had no need for riches or gold due to his upbringing, it had already been given to him at birth, but it was cute to see her reaction to such things. If she were to return with him to Garlemald he could certainly give her anything she wished.

That thought made him pause. If he brought her back to Garlemald his father certainly wouldn’t object and even if he did Zenos would do as he pleased. He could keep her with him as both wife and companion, his beautiful beast at his side for all his days. A fine wife she would make for him with her strength and power, for who else could tame him the way she had. Who else would he _allow_ to tame him? Even if his people protested his marriage to a savage, there was nothing they could do to stop him and he would crown her Empress before the masses, spitting in the faces of the conniving aristocrats and beginning a new era for their kingdom with him and the warrior of light at the helm.

The more he thought on it the more it made sense to him. The two of them together could literally take over the world. Who would stop them? Who _could_? Those problems with the throne and kingdom aside, he could not return anywhere without her, his beloved beast and conqueror.

“You can’t keep any of it (Y/n).” Alphinaud reminded her. “It belongs to Ala Mhigo.”

She snapped her head up. “Why you gotta kill a girls dreams Alphy!”

“This shall be more than enough to fill the Ala Mhigan Coffers. We should head back and report this to Lyse and General Aldynn.” Arenvald suggested.

“Can’t I just have one piece? Just _one_?” The hero pleaded.

Arenvald looked at Alphinaud and shrugged. “It wouldn’t hurt you know.”

Alphinaud smiled. “Oh alright….just one.”

“Yay!” She cried our and began scouring the area. “What should I pick? Maybe a necklace? A crown……Zenos pick something for me, I can’t decide!”

Zenos looked around and found a generous sized diamond ring. Picking it up he approached the warrior and held out his hand for hers. Without thinking she put her hand in his and he slowly, methodically put the ring onto her wedding finger and stood there staring at her and her dainty hand. She watched him with a puzzled look that turned into a blush when his eyes met hers. Oh so slowly, he raised her hand to his lips and planted the softest of kisses onto her knuckle.

She gasped and pulled her hand away, frowning at him. Then shook off whatever was going on between them and turned to her friends. “Ok I got my bling! We can go!”

************

Wine flowed freely throughout the castle ground and among the camps as music played, a pyre of burning wood blazed in the center of the courtyard and people made merry. With the news of King Theodorics treasure now in their hands, a party was thrown in the Hero’s honor for liberating Ala Mhigo and once again rising them out of poverty.

The hero put on her best dancers attire and spun around the bonfire, her chakras spinning in her hands, arms making wide circles as the tails of her costume flared out. She danced in time to the music, played by the camp minstrels and everyone watched in wonder as she moved about the area. Even Zenos could not tear his eyes from her, from his small perch in the back corner, sitting atop a wood crate with shackles on his arms but a cup of ale in his hands. Even the prisoners were allowed out for the nights celebration provided they had guards to keep an eye on them.

The fire light made her skin glow a soft red as her jewelry caught glints of it, making her sparkle the same way the treasure had in the vault. She was aethereal and graceful in her dance, with her colorful chakra blades surrounding her with ribbons of colors every time she threw them. And when the music ended and she stopped the crowd erupted in applause as she bowed and made her way off the stage only to be caught by another man.

The tall elezen male in blue, with a angelic face, touched her shoulder, bringing her attention to him and her face lit up with a big smile and she hugged him. Zenos had heard of this man, Aymeric De Borel and knew of his influence in the Dragon Song War and also how he aided the hero. He knew of the man’s exploits through the Garlean spy network but what he was not expecting was how obviously the hero adored him. Aymeric hugged her back enthusiastically and they smiled and laughed together.

Aymeric gave a dashing smile as he took her hand in his and spoke with such a princely face that he could make any women fall head over heals within him in a matter of seconds. And while he certainly did that in his past to get an upper hand, his feelings for the hero were genuine. He loved her. The hero seemed to reciprocate some of those feelings as she did not resist the elezen touching her in any way, him placing his hand at the small of her back and whispering closely into her ear, gracing fingers along her jaw and all other manner of small flirtations.

Zenos’s jaw clenched as he watched them, disgusted by the display and feeling something in the pit of his stomach that was nasty and vile. How dare that man touch his beast, his friend. She belonged to him and no other and had he the means he would strangle that charming fop with his bare hands. So vivid was the thought that the glass in his hands shattered. He brushed away ale and glass from his lap and frowned. Jealousy. Such a petty emotion and yet here he was experiencing it. His mood soured more as the Elezen lead her back to the bonfire and danced with her and he unconsciously touched the collar around his neck as he watched on.

He wanted it off, he wanted his power back, his dignity, the fear that clung to him that kept such savages away from him. The thought of embracing goodness and mediocrity made him sick to his stomach. He cared not for Garlemald but he did care for his old trappings, his legatus armor and swords especially. If he had those things he would ravage this place, take the warrior for himself and spirit them both back to his kingdom where he would make her _his_.

Those thoughts would have continued if Aymeric had not suddenly appeared before him and bowed. “Zenos Yae Galvus, Aymeric De Borel, acting head of Ishgard and a member of the Alliance. I hope you don’t find the hero’s treatments of you to be too barbaric.” While the elezen appeared to be cordial, those words were meant with a bit of sarcasm that was hidden under layers of charm.

“You need not concern yourself with that, she has been _very_ good to me.” He purred back, lacing his voice with that husky tone that drove his beast mad.

“Is that so?” Aymeric sat next to him without asking, keeping his eyes on the hero who danced now with other friends and partners, making merry with her comrades. “Your ardor for the warrior of light has not gone unnoticed, at least not by me. As someone who cares for her deeply, I can understand your attraction to her. She is a wonderful person. She brings life and hope to this world where you bring death and destruction and so I tell you, as one man who hopes to one day earn her love, stay away from her. Don’t make her believe you are anything you are not, don’t get her hopes up that you can be reformed if you have no intentions to do so. She will never accept being by the side of a arrogant brute and frankly I and many others will not accept it either.”

Zenos gave a glib chuckle. “Perhaps in your ardor you failed to see the fact that the hero is already mine. What men among you can understand what she _is_ , what she _needs._ I have given her an avenue to express her inner most self through combat. A companion who is a resilient as she. Who is not wont to drop dead for pathetic reasons such as death and disease. “

“And what about other traditional qualities such as kindness and compassion? Those count for something when it comes to her.” Aymeric was not surprised by the Garlean’s reply, it sounded so….well Garlean. “She is not Garlean and though she is the Warrior of Light, she is still a women. She would still like to be treated like one from time to time, lest you forget. Her lot is not easy, she has been through many things, sustained many wounds, survived many disasters and lost many people who were dear to her. If you are not a bastion of rest and solitude for her then she _will_ walk away. Think on that during your stay here. If you can become that fortress for her, the man she will run to when she is troubled or sad or hurting then she may accept you one day in the way you desire, until then, you are a prisoner in chains, albeit a well treated one.” Aymeric’s let that last barb set in as he stood up and rejoined the party.

************


	3. Hunting A Lucavi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zenos and the WOL investigate a Lucavi sighting in the ruins of Dalmasca.

“Normally these hunt marks I would defer to others in order to keep your schedule free but I fear no one else may be able to handle this.” General Aldynn stated at the planning tent of Ralgr’s Reach. “It has to do with Dalmasca.”

“You would assume that because my parents were Dalmascan that I would care what goes on there? I was born and raised in Uhl Dahl.” The hero replied with a funny look.

“I am well aware of that, however this has to do with the Lucavi.”

The hero pursed her lips as the general handed her a scroll and she read the details. The Lucavi were no joking matter. When the empire failed in assimilating Dalmasca they instead choose to raze it the ground, reducing the capital to ashes and releasing the Lucavi, ancient beasts bound deep within Rabanastre. As long as they stayed within the confines of Dalmasca there was not that anyone could really do about it, however once in a unfortunate lifetime or two, they could wander out into neighboring territories. That was assuming they could make it past the burn.

“Lucavi…..mythical creatures of Dalmascan legend….” Zenos pondered to himself. Naturally he had also read the legends of such beings and the demise of Rabanastre during is studies as a child. The thought of hunting on piqued his interest then and still did now, for no one had laid eyes on one and lived to talk about it.

“Cid has warned us of some high Aetherical readings coming from that area and thinks its worth investigating, assuming you are up to it.” Raubahn said.

“Lucavi are different than primals. Far more powerful…I may be an Eikon Slayer but Lucavi are a totally different subject.”

“Oh? Is the warrior afraid?” Zenos raised a brow to her.

“Concerned.” She corrected. “But, if it is true then it must be resealed before it can bleed the area dead of Aether or make its way into Othard. I’ll will go anyway.”

“Not without me.” Zenos added. “I’ve heard tales of the Lucavi and the destruction they bring. I want to see its true form with my own eyes.”

The hero shrugged. “I’m fine with that but how are we going to get there, that’s uncharted territory.”

“Cid has offered to deliver you there.” Raubahn mentioned.

************

On the deck of cid’s airship Zenos adjusted his Legatus Armor and sword canister, which the hero graciously gave back to him knowing how dangerous this hunt would be and he was glad to be back in it. That armor had been custom made for his body type and build, perfectly suited to his muscle mass, lighter than it looked and stronger than a adamantoise shell. It fit him like a glove and he felt at home in it.

He twirled the Canister Revolver and checked his swords. The three that were originally there including the Red Kojin blade were as they should have been.

Cid Garlond, the silver fox engineer of Garlond Ironworks, remained tight lipped during the trip but kept shooting glances between the hero and her charge, wanting to ask about the dynamics of that relationship but keeping it to himself. Having the crowned prince on board his aircraft was not on his short nor long to do list considering the rumors surrounding the man. Cid just prayed this trip went without incident.

The hero noticed his anxiety and made her way to the wheel house were she slapped him on the shoulder. “Cid, you’re going to crack your teeth if you clench your jaw any harder.”

“Why and how are you in the company of that _….thing_?” He side whispered to her.

She turned so Zenos couldn’t see her speak and whispered back. “Zenos was taken prisoner by the resistance and instead of letting him rot in a prison I decided to put him to good use, let him redeem himself by doing something useful.”

“You don’t seriously think you can reform him?”

“By Hydaeyln’s grace no. I’m just trying to keep him out of trouble.”

“I see you put that Allagan collar to good use. You probably already know but in Garlemald he has a very…feared….reputation. Just be careful…..we’re about the land.” Then he announced out loud. “The aether in this area is very unstable so it might make for a bumpy landing, just hold on to something and we’ll get through it.”

No sooner had he said that the airship hit a pocket of bad air and the hero was tripping over her own feet. She toppled over the stairs of the wheel house but Zenos caught her in one arm, steadying her against him and the side rail. She was effectively trapped between the two. Another jolt and the aircraft listed dangerously to the other side and while Zenos had them firmly planted against the rail, she had to hug him to steady herself again.

She might as well have wrapped her arms around a tree. There was not a thing about him that was soft and his thick garlean body with extra thick armor was like trying to hug Nidhogg, he was all hard surface and spikey things. A strong thud was the end of it and Cid announced their arrival while the hero was trying to get Zenos hair out of her face.

“Sorry for that landing!” Cid said. “We have landed but the miasma here is thick, I don’t think the airship’s aether engines can operate at full capacity in this so I will take off again and stay above the clouds until you are ready. Just call me via link pearl when you are finished.” And with that the airship ascended and they were left alone.

The are was swampy, with a thick yellow haze that smelled putrid. There were no plants to speak off, just a greyish watery muck that seemed to go on for malms, with the occasional corrupted Aether crystal jutting up from the ground. Even in the full light of day , it was dreary and foggy. A land that was dessimated and dead. What once was the sapphire of the dessert, was now a deadlands.

“What the….i’ve never seen anything like this…” The hero muttered to herself.

“The deadlands of Rabanatre.” Zenos explained to her. “During its bombardment by imperial weaponry, no small amount of aether was bled from the earth as it tried to heal itself. The damage was far too great and the aether corrupted. Blocking the flow of energies from the land and thus it is what you see today. You may have witnessed a similar situation in the Burn.”

“Indeed.” She recalled and began to wade through the ankle deep water and Zenos followed after her. “Why did your kingdom do this again?”

“At the time, the rebel forces were too many and too powerful. After many attempts to assimilate Dalmasca and no shortage of wars, embargo’s, sanctions and all other manor of attempts to coerce the Dalmascans into joining forces with us, did the Emperor decide to finally ravage the city.” Zenos said with disinterest as he looked around the nothing before them.

“So because the Emperor couldn’t get what he wanted he threw a tantrum.” The hero surmised. “Was it Varis?”

“Nay, it was my grandfather Agusto, 2nd son of Solus. Whom was rather wont to flex his military might and a dismal negotiator at that.”

“You sound un-fond of your family.”

“No more so than they are of me.” He admitted.

She was not sure what to say to that. Bad family relations were not anything she ever had to deal with. So she changed the subject and touched her link pearl. “Hey Cid, can you give us some guidance. There doesn’t seem to be anything in the area.”

A second later Cids voice came over the line. “I can see only fraction of the map due to the interference but it would seem if you continue walking north another fulm or two you will see something.”

“Thanks.” She said. “We should keep going then.”

“You are of Dalmascan decent, does seeing this land in such a state evoke no emotion within you?” Zenos asked.

“Its eerie and sad but, its not my home. I’ve never known it. If it happened to Uhl Dahl then yes, I would probably want revenge, the same way the Ala Mhigans did for their homeland.” She explained.

“You’re attachment to such things is much less than your friends.” He noted.

“Being the Warrior Of Light interferes with me being in one place too long.” She shrugged.

They walked and walked until just at the edge of their vision through the yellowish miasma they saw what looked like a building. But this building, though big and looking of Dalmascan design, was totally in ruins. They cautiously walked past what was an old gateway and into a vast yet desolate city within.

Old paved city street with mosaics lay shattered and covered in ash. Once bright red and yellow city walls were washed over with grime and moss. Any and all buildings were side ways, half blown up, missing sections or otherwise reduced to dust. The hero had seen many ruined cities in her life but this one by far was the worst. Nothing could survive here after the destruction, not even a fly or poroggo.

As they closed in on what was once the main city center, the hair on the back of her neck began to rise and the smell of the miasma grew worse. It was musty, rotten, like a bad egg and so cloying she wanted to take a big deep breath of clean air where none was the be found. So she covered her mouth with her hand, hoping it would improve it even just by a little.

Floating within the center, just a few yalms off the ground was a brightly burning piece of Auracite that hummed with power. So this was the source of the Miasma and the strange aetherical readings. Even without the proper equipment anyone could feel the “buzz” that thing gave off. It made the entire area hum with an electric like power that made skin crawl.

“So that’s our Lucavi.” The hero announced as they approached the crystal.

Zenos reached out to ouch it but the hero caught his wrist. “We don’t know exactly what’s going to pop up if we engage that thing.” She warned.

“Nothing neither you nor I could handle to be sure.” He said matter of factly.

“This isn’t a joke.” She said with a frown.

“I never meant to imply that it was.” Zenos raised a brow. “Is the fair hero having second thoughts?”

She shook her head. “I just want to make sure we’re on the same page. I’d like to live to see tomorrow.”

That sly smile spread across his face as he chuckled. “The let the hunt begin!” He touched the crystal and it exploded with energy. The aether and miasma from the area began to syphon itself back into the crystal as it glowed brighter and brighter until it shattered under its own power and the beast within was released. The aether began to reform itself, rapidly growing in size and filling out in shape as a long serpentine body appeared. Armored scales, wings, talons bigger than the hero was in stature jutted from its paws. A tail as thick as a cedar tree swished about, knocking everything out of its way. The creatures maw opened, a mouth big enough to devour the two challengers in one bite, and it roared so loud they instantly had vertigo.

The hero covered her ears as the Miasma cleared and they were standing face to face with Yiazmat, the legendary wyrm of the Lucavi, so massive it would take a legion to destroy it and so powerful that two adventurers….well one adventurer and one sociopathic legatus, had little hope to conquer.

Zenos smiled at the creature in excitement as he draw one of his swords and readied himself. “Oh legendary Lucavi, that you grace us with you presence means that I may grace you with my blade! Show me your power! Give me something to remember!”

“I don’t think you want to goad that thing on….!” The hero shouted over the noise of the creature. Its claws caught the ground and it galloped at them, each step causing shockwaves to upset the land. Zenos wasted no time running to meet the dragon head on and sliced with his sword. Indeed it hurt the creature and it howled in pain, but it did little to stop it other than anger it more. It thrashed around as Zenos tried to dance around it, parrying its tail that threated to swipe him into oblivion.

“Oh shite….” The hero cursed to herself when the dragon turned to glare at her, gathered energy in its maw and shot a fireball that was the size of a small meteorite at her. She jumped out of the way to see it take out the street, buildings and anything else its way. If that had hit her she would have been sundered to bloody pieces.

It turned its attention to Zenos and tried to attempt the same thing but the hero jumped onto the creatures neck, grabbed its horn like appendages and pulled as hard as she could, forcing the creature to shoot the fireball in another direction. It must have looked ludicrous, a small hyuran girl like her wrestling a beast that was a thousand times her size, clinging to its horn would have looked like a grasshopper on the nose of a dog, and yet with her strength she could control it to a degree.

But it bucked forward sending her flying off and rolling across the ground, kicking up debrit as she tried to catch her fall. Zenos didn’t have much better luck but he was doing a good job avoiding the attacks. She charged forward and ran with all her might as she jumped up and uppercutted the creature under its jaw. Its head snapped back and its body fell off balance, so while she was in mid air she did a series of circle kicks that further upset the wyrm.

Then she noticed something strange, while Zenos surely had been hacking and slashing at it, landing every blow, the wounds seemed to be rapidly healing. It was using the corrupted Aether of the are to heal itself. They didn’t have a chance in hell of winning against this thing!

She landed and tried to stop Zenos. “It’s healing itself by the Aether!”

“Then we simply outlast it!” Zenos howled with delight.

“Are you crazy!?”

“We must needs deal it a wound it can’t heal from!”

She looked at the armor plated chest of the Wyrm and surmised where its heart might be. So she charged again, using her own power to propel her forward with such force it could take out a small army and struck the heart as hard as she could. Her gauntlet shattered under the force and did nary a thing to the wyrms scales.

“Dammit!” She cursed as her knuckles bled, but she fought through the pain and tried to strike with her other hand, again her gauntlet breaking under the force.

The creature screamed and it raised its claw to smash her and she prepared to take the blow when Zenos took it for her, catching the claw against his blade and holding it above both him and the hero, pushing all his might against the dragons. His arms quivered under the stress for a second as the hero rolled out of the way and a razor sharp talon caught Zenos in the chest, his legatus armor split down the center and blood started to seep through but he was still standing albeit a bit in pain.

He staggered back to gain some footing and catch his breath when his strength suddenly and inexplicably returned to him. The creature’s claws had also managed to cut through his collar.

“How the hell do I strike its heart?!” The hero said to herself as she dodged more of its attacks and tried to plan her next move. If she could not get through its plated chest or underbelly then that left only one other option. To strike at it from inside somehow. “Oh Hydaelyn…am I really going to have to do … _that_?”

She groaned to herself as she made the decision to go for it. Waving her arms in the air to get the dragon’s attention. “Hey you big freaking thing! Over here!” She shouted and jumped up and down. Both Zenos and the dragon turned to look at her, him out of curiosity, the dragon out of rage. It took the bait and barreled towards her as it opened its mouth and caught her in it. She braced her lower legs against its lower jaw and its upper jaw against her shoulders as it turned around and around, screeching and howling in frustration, trying to eat its prey. It braced against its jaw for all she was worth as she shouted to Zenos. “Give me your sword!!!!”

He did as commanded and tossed his Katana to her like a boomerang. She caught it one handed and the breasts mouth snapped shut. She had been eaten alive.

Zenos wasn’t sure to be amused or concerned at such drastic actions but he internally applauded her unconventional approach to the problem. The dragon seemed unaffected as it turned to him and again made to attack.

The Legatus’s eyes glowed red as he released a telekinetic wave of energy that held the creature at bay and grabbed a second sword from his holder. The dragon suddenly stopped, began to gag and tried to scratch at its chest in obvious discomfort. It screeched and threw itself about as something internal reeked havoc on its body from the inside out. This continued for a few moments until it slumped over dead and twitched a few times before finally expiring.

Zenos sneered at the creature as he walked around its body to its underbelly and finding a small space between its plated armor, stabbed his sword in and made a large cut down its chest. He reached in through the entrails and awful, grabbed the hero by the arm and pulled her out of the creatures stomach.

Gastric juices, blood and other unmentionable things clung to her body, hair and face as he yanked her out and dragged her a few feet away from the carcass. She coughed and gagged on all of it and gasped for breath as Zenos took his sword back, swiped it off and placed it back in the holder then crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at her. She lay on her back and wiped the muck off her face then blinked and stared back up at him.

“A rather ingenious way of ending a creatures life, I admit.” Zenos smirked.

“That sucked….totally and utterly sucked.” She cursed and sat up. “Oh gods just look at my clothes….my hair….” She fretted over herself and attempted to clean up as much as possible when the carcass twitched. They both paused and stared.

Suddenly it convulsed, seized in one last death throw and flopped onto the ground, its long tail thudding one last time as it went still. The hero sighed in relief but that was short lived. Something cracked. The ground below them rumbled and suddenly they, the carcass of their fiend and everything else around them was falling through it into a dark abyss below.

***********

Zenos growled a loud and vicious snarl as he pushed a large chunk of building off of himself and all around him he saw debrit and rocks. There was no sign of the warrior anywhere. Immediately getting up he called out for her. “Warrior!”

When no voice came he looked all around him, seeing where she most likely had landed assuming she fell down anywhere near his vicinity. He saw a pale hand sticking out from a pile of rubble and ran over to it, lifting the concrete slab that covered her with both hands, he hoisted it up and threw it off to see the hero laying unconscious underneath it.

He bent down and rolled her on to her back. Her clothes were covered in dust and scratched and bruises covered her hands arms and face. A small trickle of blood seeped from her hair line, meaning she had hit her head on the way down. She was otherwise breathing and alive, but for the moment, knocked out.

A faint voice came from her link pearl. “Are you there?! What happened?! Can you answer me!?” it was Cid, who must have heard to commotion. Zenos pulled the pearl off her ear and crushed it between his two fingers, cutting off their connection to the outside world and looked down at the sleeping face of his comrade. A smile spread across his lips as he lifted her up and slung her over his shoulder. Then he stood up, looked around that the strange cavern they had fallen into and decided the best way to exit it.


	4. A night on the Steppe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zenos and the WOL are stranded on the steppe for a few nights while they walk all the way from Dalmasca to Kugane. Fluff in this chapter!

The Hero groaned and her head throbbed. Her body ached and muscles were stiff. It felt like a bloody chocobo carriage had run her over and when she tried to roll over it made the pain worse. So she stayed flat on her back and rode through the pain then dared to open her eyes.

Stars. Millions and million of them hung over her head in a dark night sky in the middle of twelve knows where. She could at least turn her head to the side where some form of light existed and was greeted by the sight of Zenos, sitting by a small fire, his chest armor off and only a black undershirt on. His eyes were closed and his arms crossed over his chest like he was either sleeping or meditating.

The hero sharpened her senses and she could hear the rustling of leaves, the chirping of crickets and the sound of flowing water. So she willed her self to sit up despite the vertigo that threatened to take her and saw a dark grassland, going as far as her eye could see, which wasn’t very far in the dead of night. In her confusion she had to take a few moments to think about how she ended up here.

“The Steppe.” Zenos answered her, eyes now opening to turn towards her.

“The Steppe….” She forgot what that was for a moment and then her mind came back to her. “Othard….Wait weren’t we in…”

“I carried you here.” He answered again, always one step ahead of her questions.

“The Lucavi…we defeated it….then what?” She rubbed her temple.

“The ground collapsed and we ended up in a cavern, from there I had to carry you out. With no exit in sight I kept walking until it suddenly ended in the southern most part of Othard.” He explained and she noticed, but thought nothing of, the strange red scarf he now wore around his neck. He must have recycled his bustle and she now that she thought on it, she couldn’t blame him. It was very cold out on the steppe at night.

Reaching for her ear she tried to touch her link pearl but it was no longer there. Most likely damaged when they fell into the cavern or it simply slipped off in the fight. Shite. Poor Cid must be beside himself with worry and scouring all of Rabanastre for them.

She shivered but then felt the much and grime on herself. “Oh Twelve I’m still covered in Dragon guts!” She managed to get herself onto her hands and knees and dragged her beaten self to the stream that was a few feet away. Once there she scooped some water in her hands and splashed it on her face. It was ice cold and she shivered, but it was better than having dragon entrails and everything else clinging to her.

Without thinking she began to remove her bustier and opened up her shirt so she could wash herself, tearing a piece of her skirt and using it as a scrubber, making sure to get every nook and cranny she could before she remembered her stalwart companion sitting by the fire.

She looked over her shoulder to see him staring at her intently, his cold eyes always examining everything she did even if it was the most mundane thing ever such as bathing oneself. When she was satisfied that she was no longer smelling of refuse she crawled back over to the fire and sat close to it, trying to savor its warmth and dry herself off. She hugged her arms to herself and shivered.

“Wait. You were injured too!” She suddenly remembered and turned to Zenos. Indeed, in the middle of his chest, slicing down his chest and splitting the back fabric, was a clear talon mark and the hint of red blood staining the cloth.

“Tis nothing.” He said. “ A small trophy from a rather dull battle.”

“Dull? If I hadn’t let that thing swallow me, we’d be fighting an uphill battle.” She scolded and then reached for her skirt pocket where she always kept a few nick knacks and medicines then pulled out a small blue vial. “I have a potion if you want to use it.” She passed it to him and he looked at it and frowned.

“Tis no need to fret over such a small thing when wounds heal well enough on their own. You’ll find me unlike those mewling weaklings you call friends who need every nurse maid and chirurgeon to lick their wounds.” He said indignantly.

She scoffed and waddled on her knees to him, where she situated herself facing him and looked at the wound upon closer inspection. It was nasty, not exactly bad but it surely must have hurt. Trust Zenos to either ride or enjoy that kind of pain, because any normal person would definitely want something like that looked at.

“It’s filthy….seriously you’re going to just let it fester?” She raised a brow. “Are all Garlean’s so bullheaded or is it just you?”

“Bullheaded?” His frown deepened and then suddenly he was laughing. “Oh warrior, trust you to be so free with your words. You mean to say you think me arrogant and stubborn. Well…you would not be wrong. The way warriors are bred in Garlemald is vastly different that you savages.”

“Quit calling us savages.” She scowled and opened the rip part of his shirt so she could clean his wound. “I’ll fix it for you if you hold still.” Then she ripped another piece of her skirt off and poured the blue potion onto it, dabbing it on the wound softly. While she tended to it, the prince watched her from his towering position above her, seeing how her small hands trembled and her brow knit in concentration.

Her own hands were bruised and cross crossed with small cuts that had already clotted over. Her knuckles especially had not fared well considering how she broke her gauntlets on Yiazmat’s scales and then again the smell of flowers wafted to his nose. Where ever she went she brought that scent with her, the Dalmascan Rose. He bent down over her as she worked.

She worked earnestly to clean up the wound and couldn’t help but peek at his pectoral muscles and abs under the torn shirt. She expected him to be muscular, after all he was Garlean and a Legatus and that took no small amount of physical ability. Garleans in general were all tall and lean and now that she thought on it, she had never seen a overweight one, not even a chubby one, not even slightly. It must have been their common genetic trait that they would all be lean which was a strange contrast to his long hair and rather feminine face.

Now she was getting curious. Why _did_ he keep his hair so long? Sure Varis had long hair but did his mother as well? Who was his mother? What was she like? Why wasn’t she apart of Zenos life? Was she even alive? What was he like when he was a child? Was he happy? Was he ever lonely?

Without realizing it her thoughts were taking on a life of their own and she had stopped her tending. She was just semi standing there on her knees with her hand on his bare chest right over his heart. It pounded just like hers did in a steady unbreaking rhythm. Thump, thump, thump. She could feel it under her palm and somehow that was both comforting and hypnotizing.

A whisper right against her ear brought her mind back down to earth and her cheeks flush. “Warrior.” Zenos said and she could feel the heat of his breath against her breath. He seemed to breathe deep against her and she realized he was _smelling_ her.

Woah, Nophica put on the brakes! Halone take the wheel! She was just feeling up the crown Prince of Garlemald, Zenos Yae Galvus without thinking about it! She quickly pulled her away and sat back down next to him, trying not to make eye contact with those ice blue eyes. She did not need Zenos to know she was attracted to him and she certainly didn’t need him breathing suggestively in her ears. By the twelve, how could he get her blood boiling? Him of all people? She quickly tried to think of something wholesome…..Sir Aymeric with his Lord Fat Cat! Moogles! Chocochicks! Anything!

Zenos was chuckling at her indiscretion and also at her shyness, he could smell the rush of blood in her, the feel of her heart through her palm on his chest, the sudden heat that gathered in that small hand and knew what feelings had suddenly been evoked in her. He had _had_ bed partners in the past, he knew the physical dynamics of Hyuran pheromones and sexual attraction, though he preferred not to take any savages to his bed, he would make an exception for her, his beautiful Dalmascan beast.

“You’re a brute.” She pouted and hunkered down into a small ball by the fire, hugging her knees to her chest.

“Apparently, the Dalmascan Rose is attracted to brutes.” He teased her….he actually freaking teased her!

She snapped her head in his direction. “I used to eat chumps like you for breakfast in the ring! Don’t push your luck!”

“It would be my souls desire to be _devoured_ by you, my beautiful beast.” He purred that word and it was laced with heat and sex. This man knew what he was doing and had all the manipulating sociopathic means to make his words sound like husky pillow talk.

Now she was getting angry. “Too bad your dick’s not as big as your sword!” She shot back and it was meant to be an insult. That made his lips purse, he raised a brow and smirked. “Do. Not. Say. Anything!” She hissed before he could retort.

“As the lady wishes.” He shrugged and went back to being silent and staring at the fire. Finally, the atmosphere of lust had cleared between them and they were back to just being two people, albeit a bit beat up and dirty, next to a campfire.

After a few minutes of silence the hero relaxed a bit and unwound herself from her tight ball, stretching her legs out to the side and sitting on her hip so her shoulder just barely touched the side of his arm. She rubbed her eyes and yawned then looked up at the sky. Judging by the stars it was well into the morning hours and no doubt the sun would be rising in a few more. She was hungry, and dirty and grumpy and wanted nothing more than a hot bath and food which would probably not come for another day assuming they managed to find civilization at all in that time.

She _could_ always call on the tribes of the steppe as the ruling Kaghaan but frankly dealing with the inner politics of the Dotharl and the Oronir was always more trouble than it was worth. The Mol were too far up north and she wouldn’t dare bring Zenos back to Doma Castle considering the history he had there. Knowing Hien though, he would welcome them with open arms despite any bad feelings towards the Legatus but the impropriety of it was too much for the hero, she couldn’t step on people’s feelings like that.

The only viable option left was to foot it to Kugane and see if Tataru and Hancock were still around. Then they could work out travel back to Eorzea or get in touch with Cid again. It was a very long trek though for an empty stomach and she sighed to herself at the notion then leaned into her companion involuntarily. She was damn tired.

The hero tried to focus on the fire in front of her feeling her eye lids get heavier and heavier when she finally relented and closed the, nodding off within a matter of minutes.

Zenos could hear the change in her breathing and looked down at her. His collar was off and she had no idea or if she did she didn’t care. The smell of her desire was so apparent, he could take her and now, have her in the grass the way two beasts do in nature. Have her baying in pleasure as he had his way with her, screaming his name through clenched teeth while she grabbed a handful of his hair and raked nails down his flesh.

When had he ever been this free and easy with his prey? It humored him, her resistance to her own lust when it was so obvious that he stirred such feelings in her, the way her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. Any other women would be trying to worm their way into his bedsheets for a chance to lay with the Prince Of Garlemald in a vein attempt to foster favor and privaledge within the court. Creatures like the Lady Yotsuyu and all others like her.

Ah but his beast was no wanton creature of desire and she knew him, knew what he was deep down and yet here she was using him as a pillow by the fireside. There would be no joy in taking her in such a debauched way. It would rob him of his sport. The thought of wearing down her defenses over time, pursuing her until her will power broke and she cried out for him to take her, that would be the ultimate pleasure.

He smiled down at his prey with a new resolve, he would seduce the warrior of light oh so deliciously slow and methodically unto he could break her. It would be a sweet surrender, worthy of his time and effort, worthy of the Crowned Prince. She would become his queen and the mother Garlemald, the warrior of light in all her fury and might at the throne by his side. Then he would have her heart, body and soul, his beloved friend and enemy.

*****************

The hero’s stomach growled loud enough for both her and her companion to hear as they walked down the grassy plains of the steppe. Daylight and come and they made to set off to Kugane, trying to over as much ground as they could within the daytime and settling down for camp at night. While the hero’s constitution granted her a day on a empty stomach with no ill side effects, they were now on day two and she was downright starving. Even the small critters that infrequently crossed their paths were beginning to look good.

“I’m shocked by your lack of constitution, warrior.” Zenos said as they continued up a large knoll.

“You’re one to talk, you are 4 times my weight and have more muscle mass to spare.” She pouted. “Once we get to Kugane I want the biggest bowl a ramen money can buy!”

“Is that some sort of confection?” He asked.

She stared at him for a second. “You’ve never had Ramen?”

“I’m not in the habit of eating unrefined foods.”

“So you’ve never had anything non Garlean?” She raised a brow.

“Nothing from this region.”

“Wow….we need to change that. There are some really nice foods in Hingashi, like Mochi and Sushi. Ramen of course. Gyudon….Yakitori…..” her mouth began to water.

“You are not making it any easier on yourself.” Zenos reminded her.

“I’m so hungry I could eat a whole…….” They reached the top of the knoll and they both stopped to look down into the valley. While it was sunny and peaceful with lush grasslands for malms, something within their eyesight looked off. “Mammoth…..” The hero slowly said under her breath. A heard of Steppe Mammoth’s lay dead below, thousands of them all strewn across the grasslands like so much fodder for the vultures.

“What the……” The hero whispered to herself. It was not unusual to see carrion during her voyages, as that was the circle of life, animals died or were killed by bigger predators. But this was on a massive scale and was so obviously out of place.

They cautiously made their way down into the valley where the stench of the dead mixed with dung and fur made the covers their noses. Swarms of flies ate away at the animals and yet there appeared to be no weapon wounds or any apparent reasons for their deaths.

Was it a larger beast? Something ancient and primal? Was it some sort of weapon? Something from the earth? The hero’s mind buzzed with questions until she saw some ways away, the blue body of a Dorthali warrior and ran over to him. He, like the animals had been dead for some time.

“He’s Dorthal….maybe this was a botched hunt….”She muttered and looked at her companion. Zenos’s eyebrows were scrunched, his face taught with concentration. It was the first time she had seen him like that. He always had such a passive expression, like he was bored or didn’t care but this was genuine concern.

“Zenos?” She asked and when he didn’t answer she grabbed his arm. “Know anything about this?”

His face went slack again and he turned to her. “Mayhaps…..” and then in the distance there was a commotion. On the backs of Yol’s, the great falcon like beasts, flew more Dorthali, one being recognizably Sadu. They landed before the hero and dismounted, looking at the death around them and at their fallen tribesman.

“By the gods…why has such havoc been wrought on our beasts? Such death! Such waste!” She growled and then looked at the hero. “Mayhap our Khagaan has an explanation.”

The hero shook her head. “We only just arrived. Know you of any of this?”

“Nay. We sent our warriors out to hunt game for our people and when they did not return we have found this.” Sadu waved a hand at the scene.

“Wait. You mean this isn’t the only place?” The hero asked with a furrowed brow.

“Aye. Every heard of Mammoth we have set our eyes on for hunt has been exterminated in a similar manner. This flesh is rotten and foul, we shant be able to bring it home to fill our children’s bellies.”

“Every single herd wiped out the same was as this? What on earth is going on? Zenos what _is_ this?”

The crowned prince crossed his arms over his chest and thought. “There was a weapon the Empire was working on that operated on a biological level, disrupting the aether within one’s body and killing it within seconds. A painless quick death on a massive scale. Though this agent was in production, it was, to my knowledge, never used.”

“A biological agent…like gas?”

“Indeed.”

The hero gasped and faced him. “Then they are testing it here on the steppe!”

“So it would seem.” Zenos frowned. “It is detestable even for my tastes, a foul weapon meant to steal the challenge out of killing. A cowards weapon and a foolish thing created by my father.”

“Varis would never deploy it would he?”

“I would daresay no. My father is too pragmatic for that. Which then begs the question, who did?”

“Tis unlike you to be out on the Steppe without your companions. Has ill befallen them?” Sadu asked, eyeing the Prince suspiciously. More than likely she had never seen a Garlean before, being so isolated on the steppe and Zeno’s shining personality was wont to attract him positive allies.

“No, I came alone with him. We ran into trouble during one of our expeditions and have to walk the Steppe back to Hingashi.”

“Tis a long journey back.” Sadu motioned for her companions to pick up the fallen warrior and they did so, slinging the carcass on the back of their Yol. “We must needs investigate this mystery. Will our Khagaan not join us for the night?”

The hero looked at Zenos who seemed agreeable enough. “I suppose we should. We have no where else to go for now.”

****************

Like most tribes on the Steppe, the Dotharl were incredibly communal. Everything was performed together as a family unit, including eating, cooking, bathing and all other social activities. So it was not surprising that dinner was roasted over a fire, displayed on a big blanket in the midst of the dining tent and everyone shared in the days bounties. A dozen or so steppe cuisines sat steaming, though some fresh as well, on straw woven mats and wooden plates and everyone took what they felt like.

It was the first real food the hero has seen in a few days and it smelt glorious to her rumbling stomach as she gathered up two wooden plates of morsels and made her way back to the tent her and Zenos were holed up in for the night. She was not pleased with the thought of sharing such a intimate bed setting with him, with only a straw stuffed mattress and some animals furs for blankets meant for them both to share but she was also in no position nor dumb enough to snub any hospitality from the Dotharl.

Zenos was sprawled out on the animals furs and dressed down as much as possible from his legatus armor. His arms were tucked behind his head and his eyes fixed on her the moment she stepped in as he was always wont to do. He rather resembled a large predatory lion, lounging about on his throne awaiting the gazelle to jump right into his open maw.

“I’m surprised you obeyed me and stayed here.” She stated as she sat down next to him and set the plates of food between them. “I thought you would have jumped at the first chance to escape seeing as I have no handcuffs to tie you down with.”

“Ah but there is the crux of my dilemma.” Zenos smirked and his eyes regarded her the same she regarded her Garula steak at the moment. She didn’t wait for him to dig in and hungrily bit into her meat shank. “You have bound me in other ways, not withstanding your victory over me at the Menagerie. It would also seem you have won over the tribes of the steppe somehow. Truly your accomplishments have no bounds.”

“So because I won at the Menagerie you will...what? Follow me to hell and back?” She pushed the plate towards him and he reluctantly sat up and looked over the food with something akin to curiosity on his face. Perhaps the cuisines was not for a Garlean Palatte.

“Precisely. I shall follow you, learn from you and perhaps glean some information into your myriad talents as well as other things…”He said suggestively.

“Talk like that will get you kicked out of the tent real quick buster.” She said dryly and continued eating.

“Is it so wrong that I make my attraction to you known?” He asked and finally began to eat.

“Yes because the thought of me loosing a pint of blood and a few teeth every time we come together is not very appealing. I’m a classic kind of gal. I like flowers and chocolates, long strolls under the moonlight….things that don’t require medical care afterwards.”

“So you think me incapable of such endeavors?”

“Not incapable, simply unwilling.” She said flatly.

He went silent for a moment while he chewed his food and regarded her words. The way to women’s heart was a mystery as the old saying went, though to him it was never a mystery worth dwelling on. Such insipid and dull notion of romance were wasted on the social climbers of Garlemald but it was not without merit if it would get him closer to his ultimate goal. Wooing his beast was a novel concept but where oh where should he start?

The hero cleaned off her plate and searched around her for a napkin as savory juice from the Garula Shank was stuck to her fingers. Zenos reached and snatched that hand, holding it tight so she couldn’t take it back and surely she tried. He brought those deliciously long slender fingers to his lips and the tip of his tongue shot out, catching her finger tips and licking them clean in long slow motions.

She squealed and tried to pull her hand back but his grip was iron and his eyes never left hers. She wasn’t sure if she should be grossed out or turned on so she watched on as he took her index finger and gently bit down onto it, not hard but enough to get the point across then rolled his tongue around it. What turned to mortified disgust in the pit of her stomach began to unwind as something else replaced it, the same nagging feeling she had when she touched his chest, desire. It was so unwanted at a time like this but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the act!

It was Zenos who finally let go and with that glib smirk let her hand drop. She quickly pulled it back and stood up with her plate and went to go return it….and then have a good jump in the pond at the center of the village. Saying nothing, she quickly left the tent and tried to get her mind back together now that the crowned prince has so sufficiently turned it to gelatin.

Sadu was walking her way when she caught her attention. “Is the food to the Khagaan’s liking?”

“Yes of course, it was delicious.” She said in a breathy voice that betrayed what she was internally feeling.

Sadu smirked and looked at the tent then back at the hero. “That warrior you came with is strange. I have never seen so robust a man and it is unlike you to travel in only pairs….is he your lover?”

The hero nearly tripped over her own feet at that question and quickly tried to regain composure. “Heavens no!”

“But you came out of the tent looking so….satisfied.” Sadu had to rub in. “Tis no shame for our Khagaan to take pleasure with those she see’s fit and should your womb quicken we are sure to see many fine warriors born to you.”

‘You are not helping me!” the hero growled and grabbed the blue Dotharl by the arm and pulled her away from the tent so Zenos couldn’t catch anymore of the conversation.

“I do not understand….Is such ardor looked down upon with your people?” Sadu asked as they sat down by her Chieftain tent.

“Not at all, I think it’s the same between both our people in regards to that” the hero explained. “It’s just that Zenos is…..complicated.”

“He has much power, that I can tell. His eyes are cold, like a wild beast but those eyes are always on you. One might think he is your enemy or your hunter but there is something else there. It is good in the eyes of the dusk mother.” Sadu explained.

“How is any of that alright?” The hero laughed and rubbed her temple. The culture beliefs of the Dotharl sometimes bordered on insanity but she was not one to poke fun at them.

“Some say there is a fine line betwixt hatred and love.” Sadu smirked.

“That should not be crossed!”

Sadu gave her signature hardy laugh, full throated and mirthful. “You shall never be bored of each other and that’s a good thing!” She slapped the hero on her back and went about her business, leaving the hero to pout on her own.

**************

She took her time returning to the tent, after having a small bath with the other tribeswomen, unsure how she was going to get through the night without more ackward things happening herself and the Legatus but she secretly sighed in relief when she found him already asleep upon her return. All stretched out like the lion of a man he was on their single bed, eyes closed and breathing softly. He must have been more tired than he let on.

The hero looked about the tent and wondered if she could rough it out on the dirt floor somehow but without a blanket she would most likely just end up catching a cold and having a pinched sciatic nerve. So she looked back at the bed and oh so silently laid down. There was only one giant mammoth fur blanket for the two of them and she tucked herself in as stealth like as she could muster, only picking up the corner of the blanket and scooting in.

Zenos was on his back. His long lashes closed and mouth slack. He really looked peaceful when he slept, being strong enough to not have a care in the world and dangerous enough that his enemies dared not attack him in his moments of rest. Unlike her, whom always slept with one eye open and expecting the hammer to fall at any moment. Zenos being that hammer.

This time she did sigh out loud and rolled onto her side. What _would_ happen if she accepted his affections? Where would it lead to? If she thought about her other potential love interests, for example Aymeric, the end result was cut and clear. Aymeric would make her his bride, he would pamper her, love her, spoil her. She would never wonder what his motives were or wonder if she was loved, he would

make it more than aptly known. In fact all of Ishagard would know because he would parade them around and publicly announce his love for her from the highest steeple of the Holy See.

While she was lost in her thoughts about Ishgardian love affairs, Zenos shifted behind her and a strong beefy arm snaked its way around her waist and pulled her close. She was ready to elbow him right into the ribs, face or any other weak point but when he mumbled something unintelligible and nuzzled himself into her back she stopped. Did he seriously just mumble in his sleep? He made the same noise again and sighed only to snore softly between her shoulder blades.

She tried to squirm out of his grasp but his arms hugged tighter they weren’t letting go anytime soon. So she struggled like that for a moment or two before giving up, relaxing into him and grumbling some obscenities under her breath as she drew the blanket up tighter. He was rather warm to be against so she couldn’t complain about being cold in the night besides she was too tired to fight it anymore. If he wanted to be her big murderous Garlean Teddy Bear for the night, she’d let him have that. He had been so well behaved since their internment together this could be his reward.

Yawning, she closed her eyes and fell asleep to the soft snoring of the Princely Terror snuggling her from behind.


	5. A race to Kugane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter and the next will focus on character/relationship building for Zenos and WOL as they make their way to Kugane. But Zenos is Zenos and he gets bored easily.

Soft snow crunched under the hero’s foot as she walked through some place dark and cold. A dream, most likely but this place was nowhere she had ever been or seen before.

It was some sort of courtyard that was flanked with high black polished walls, with gold trim and silver spires. The floor her feet soundlessly stepped on were red, the color of blood.

Was it Ishgard? Snow after all was indicative of Coerthas but surely she would have remembered a place like this if that were the case. The architecture was decidedly not Ishgardian but when she saw the white flagged sigil waving in the breeze she put everything together. That was the royal crest of Garlemald. So somehow she was dreaming of Garlemald when she had never set foot in it before which meant this was not her memory.

She was barefoot on snow that should have stung her feet and yet she felt nothing. So this was a memory and nothing more. But who’s was it then? She walked towards the center of the yard which was grand enough to have belonged to a Royal, with manicured plants and shrubbery surrounding the area and there stood a group of people.

Tall Garlean Nobles stood before a funerary pyre where under the red satin sheet was obviously a body that was ready to be cremated. There was nary a murmur from these people as the hero broke through their ranks, walking in between well dressed aristocrats until she was in front of them. Between the people and the pyre was a very small boy no older than 5-6 years and in his small hand a torch.

His clothes were simple enough, he was dressed the way she imagines a Garlean child would but his short blonde hair was in contrast to the black and white of his peers and the hero approached him, standing by his side and tilting her head so she could see his face. Cold blue eyes stood unstaring at the body he was about to put alite.

“Zenos?” She asked out loud and looked at the many faces watching the small child. Though their mouths remained closed she heard voices echo out.

_“We must bid farewell to our Matriarch.”_

_“May she rest in Peace.”_

_“She left us too soon.”_

_“The queen mother has passed.”_

_“You must lite the pyre and shed not a tear. She gave her life for the glory of Garlemald.”_

_“You must not cry, young prince. You will one day lead our people and such display is unbecoming a king. You must be strong and merciless to your enemies. That is the way of Garlemald!”_

_“You must not look away until the last of her has been turned to ash.”_

The child obeyed and threw the torch atop the body which was quickly consumed by flames and all he did was stand there and watch with the same blank look. Flames danced in his eyes as he stood there watching his mother’s body burn to a cinder, even when the other nobles turned to leave, he was not permitted to go. He had to stay there in the cold watching every last vestige of his matriarch burn away.

How horrible it must have been for a child that young to do such a thing. The hero couldn’t imagine ever sending a child to perform such a ceremony and with such callousness. How could a child not but cry for its mother? How could anyone expect him to do it alone?

She knelt down next to the young prince and placed a hand on his head, stroking that soft yellow hair the way a mother would. “So this was your childhood in Garlemald….this memory must have some significant meaning for you or else I wouldn’t be seeing it. You can cry you know, there’s no shame in it. Its natural to hurt when you loose a loved one. I know….I lost my parents about the same age too and there’s not a day that I don’t think of them and miss them. Even if it was such a long time ago.”

She looked down at the snow and noticed droplets of blood coming from the young princes clenched hand. What he could not express on his face he showed through other means if anyone cared enough to pay attention.

The boy suddenly turned to look at her as if she were not just a dream shadow but physically with him and. “Peering into my past are you? Why not take it a step further?” His small blue eyes were suddenly black and red as something telekinetic hit her, causing her to reel back and grab her head as the scenery quickly changed.

They were standing in the middle of a grand room, with large wide windows giving the place ample light. The polished wood floor reflected two figures fencing each other across the expanse of what looked like a ball room. It was a stark contrast to the dark dreariness of the courtyard where cold black walls gave way to white and gold panels, flowing curtains and polished woodwork.

Zenos, slightly older, maybe about 12 winters clashed with another Garlean. With a rapier in hand he made quick precise strikes against what appeared to be his instructor. They moved in tandem across the floor, like two dancers in a choreographed routine but when Zenos faltered and took a misstep his opponent wasted no time slicing his arm and shoving him to the ground. The man’s blade was at the prince’s throat.

“You must never falter lest your foe seizes the opportunity to take your head! Do not think for one moment I would no drive my sword through you! You must never flinch, never fail for that is the makings of a great Emperor! You have far exceeded your pupils but you are still a child. You must be willing to do whatever it takes to grab power and glory! Whatever enemy stands before you must fall! Do not hesitate young prince, to take your enemies life for they will not hesitate to take yours!” The man growled at his student.

The scene suddenly replayed, the shades of Zenos and the instructor almost rewinding like a virtual recording as they danced again across the room. But this time the instructor faltered, he couldn’t keep up with his student’s skill who had far exceeded his own. The young prince did as was instructed and showed no mercy, driving his rapier into the man’s heart and watching with disinterest as the body slumped onto the floor.

The young prince turned to the Warrior. “This fool sought the life of my father in revenge for his family falling hostage to the imperials. Thinking that tutoring me would bring him closer to his goal. Such a waste.....that he, in the end, like all others should fall so easily. Pray that you show more sport than this weakling.” He taunted and kicked the fallen man’s rapier towards her.

She glanced at it. “I’m not interested in playing with you.”

The prince frowned. “That’s what all the others said as well.”

She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Play does not equal killing Zenos!”

“Says the Dalmascan Rose, who felled many a warrior within the walls of the colosseum.”

“I never killed any of my opponents. I may have beat them, but I never killed any of them. I would gain nothing from their death and would loose everything.” She argued.

“Such as?”

“My soul.” She said simply.

This made the prince sneer. “Such tactless notions are unworthy of your convictions.”

“You’re not the one to decide that.”

He growled and pounced at her, trying to catch her with his rapier, forcing her to fight. She sidestepped his blows and cartwheeled out of the way.

“Why must you be so difficult women! Play with me! I have waited so long for one such as you! So very long!” he shouted the way a petulant child would having a tantrum and continued his assault. She dodged every slice, every stab with just as much finesse as he had as they worked their way around the room. She twirled, she vaulted, flipped and dodged as the prince became more and more frustrated.

With is frustration came wave after wave of memories, the area warping around them again as the scenery transformed into one thing after another. His loss of control emotionally resulted in a flood of images being fed into her mind directly and they were not pleasant.

She could see a dimly lit Doman brothel where wine poured freely and soldiers laughed while girls entertained them. Yotsuyu slung her arms over Zenos shoulders as he sat uninterested amongst his legionaries who revelled in the attentions of ladies with white faces and red lips. The ever sly women with long black hair whispered into his ears all manner of lascivious words, trying her best to seduce him, to glean some information from him, to use him. He was immune to her advances as he knew the manipulations that spun around in her head and tolerated her presence only so she could be of use to him later in his campaign against Doma.

She could see him being strapped down to a medical gurney within a castrum, needles, machines, wires and everything mechanical and foreign being used on him. Potions, concoctions of all color and god knows what were fed through those tubes to be circulated through his body, sometimes the results were painful and he braced himself against the straps of the gurney, screaming with blood shot eyes and gritted teeth as the experiments continued, until the scientists got the results they were looking for or until Zenos was on the verge of death and his body could take no more.

The images and agony that came with them hit her like a ton of bricks and she screamed out for it to stop, pushing against the memories with her own echo, blocking them out and cutting the lifeline that fed them into her. The whole dream like state shattered and she was back in her own body, in the real world, with a very real problem.

*************

Zenos, the real one was on top of her and unconscious, his full weight pressing her down into the earth. The hero propped her head up to see the man’s face on her chest and eyes closed. The blue sky above was bright and vibrant and in the distance she could hear the ocean.

As her mind cleared itself and the throbbing pain of the echo subsided she had to ask herself how her and Zenos ended up in such a precarious position. Then it all came back to her.

Upon waking up together in the tent of the Dotharl, in no less an embarassing position did they set off for the southern coast of Yanxia, hoping that from the ocean they could maybe catch the attention of the pirates that frequented the Ruby Sea. With the hero’s previous dealing with their kind, she could barter for passage to Kugane using the Ruby Tithe to her advantage. However, on the way there Zenos had gotten bored.

To make better use of the time and get them to their goal a bit faster the hero proposed a race between the two of them on who could reach the beach faster. Whoever won would receive a prize in Kugane, the prize being undecided until they reached their destination.

That was all good and well and their race went as she imagined it would, with her in the lead and him tailing behind her like a lion chasing a gazelle across the steppe. He was fast, far more fast than his hulking size let on and he easily caught up to her, pouncing on her from behind as they tumbled into the grass below them.

She fought back, throwing him off to the side as she tried to top him, overpower him and he did the same. They struggled for a time like this until he conveniently flipped her over him, her head smacking the earth and causing her to hesitate for moment before her echo kicked in and she went limp in his arms.

Her eyes closed and face went slack almost as if she were sleeping and for a moment the Prince wondered if he had injured her. His hand reached out to touch her face and when their skin made contact, her echo overtook him and he was thrown into his own memories against his will. Thus from their began her small journey into his past.

“Zenos!” She grumbled and tried to push him off. His hands suddenly sprang to life and planted themselves right next to her head as he lifted his face to hers.

“Did you enjoy what you saw?” He asked dryly.

“Not particularly….” She admitted and couldn’t look him in the eye for a moment. What she saw was not what she expected. She thought he would be the cliché pampered palace brat, who’s whims were catered to by a multitude of servants, who was always praised and primed like a peacock but in fact the opposite was true. Zenos had a miserable life in the palace. There were no kind words from any of his peers, only demands and reminders of Garlean propriety. No signs of affection, only punishments for failures. He had no friends that she could see, any and all being either uninterested in his games or valuing their lives too much to come near him. In return he spurned their company, thinking any and all below his intellectual capacity and status as the prince. All he had was his endless tutors who schooled him in the ways of war, some who abandoned their posts when the Prince became to violent or who lost their lives in service to him and by his own hand no less. There were no memories of Varis, no emotional connection to him whatsoever and no one around to reel in his fast growing hatred of mankind and love of violence.

  
“I know that look…it’s the same one you gave me in your parlor, pity. Such a disgusting emotion. Do not waste it for one second on me, I do not want it nor need it.” He said coldly. “ I have won our little race, warrior.”

“Only because my echo kicked in! I can’t control when it triggers!” She argued back.

“Serendipity then, was on my side.” That ever sly smile returned to his lips. “Or perhaps it is the work of your twelve which dropped victory into my lap.”

“Get off!” She barked and he chuckled at her.

“That’s not what you said last night.” He said suggestively. “Or need I remind you of how I awoke with your arms around me.”

“Need I remind you of how you fell asleep like a whimpering baby mumbling into my back!” She shot back.

“Whimpering, how delightful that my beast has reduced me to such a state.”

Now her face caught fire and she wished she could hide it from him. Gods damn that husky voice of his and his dirty musings!

“Don’t say things like that! It’s so misleading!” She pleaded and clenched her eyes shut so she didn’t have to look at his well shaped lips. Ugh what was wrong with her that everything he did and said was getting her all hot under the collar. Ever since….well ever since they first met it had been in the back of her mind, shoved under the fact that she was the warrior of light and he was a genocidal maniac and now that they were in each other’s company a lot more it was beginning to surface.

“How is it so? I’ve never once told you an untruth.” He pointed out, that long blonde hair of his sliding over half of his face and tickling her neck again. “What is misleading is while you turn your face away, your heart is beating madly within your chest, your face is flushed with blood and your tastes of heat and lust.” He bent his lips over her jugular and ghosted his lips on the sensitive flesh, letting his breath tickle her skin.

She felt herself panic but was saved just in the nick of time by a voice calling out to them. “Tis a strange place to be frolicking in the grass and by none other than the Warrior Of Light!”

They both snapped their head in the direction of the voice as Tansui, lieutenant of the Confederacy, who was walking over the grassy knoll towards them. They were so close to the beach he must have already been in the area and came to investigate the squabble they had managed to get themselves into.

“I’d ask you to help me get this big Ohf off of me but he’d probably murder you if your did.” She said as Zenos lifted himself enough for her to crawl out from under him.

As Tansui got closer his stopped and his eyes went wide. It wasn’t every day a dead rumored Prince was roaming the Doman countryside.

“By the Kami….!” He growled and put his hand on his sword.

The hero threw up her hands and grabbed Tansui’s wrist. “Just don’t. Trust me. I need to barter for passage to Kugane.”

“By what crazy incident did he come to be paired with you?!”

“He’s my prisoner.”

“I dare say any man would love to be your prisoner if it entailed treatment such as that.” Tansui said bluntly.

“Oh sod off….” She grumbled. “So passage to Kugane?”

He crossed his hands over his chest and gave her a smug look. “What have you to offer for the ruby tithe?”

“I don’t have much in the way of money honestly….but when we get to Kugane I can get some from my treasurer at the Ruby Bazaar.”

“Bah money is for those with no imagination….I think something more unique is in order. That ring you wear looks mighty expensive.” Tansui took the hero’s hand and rubbed his thumb over the large diamond that sat there, a gift from King Thordan’s treasury.

“The ring?” She asked carefully. In all honesty she wanted to keep it and gave Zenos a quick side glance. Not that she was one to place much value on such trinkets but Zenos had picked it for her and it was a nice reminder of the odd comradery they shared in that moment. “Can’t you ask for something else? I’m rather fond of this one.”

“Why bother negotiating with these heathens? A swift strike down the middle should suffice.” Zenos threatened and put his hand on his sword, causing Tansui to back away.

The hero held out her hand to her stalwart companion. “No bloodshed, that’s the price you pay for staying with me!” She warned him sternly.

“You let the heathens yank your chain from here to Eorzea and for what? What does their existence grant you?” Zenos challenged.

“Not a damn thing but that’s not what life is about.”

Zenos rolled his eyes and grumbled as he pulled the Red Kojin blade out with a loud “shing” and pointed it at the pirate. He quickly flipped the blade over his wrist so that he held it with the handle end pointing towards the other man. “This should be worth something to you Vagabonds.”

Tansui’s eyes widened at the red blade. “That’s….the blade of the Kojin! By the Kami….how did you end up with it?”

“That is no business of yours. Take the blade or I’ll take your head.”

The pirate quickly reached out and took the blade before the prince could make good on that claim. Once it was in his hands he marveled at its craftsmanship and the hero had to give her companion a serious once over.

“Are you sure you want to do that? I can just give him the ring.”

“A blade such as that is quite a marvel, but not irreplaceable. I will make do with only two blades until I find something more suitable in the future.” He stated.

“That’s unusually diplomatic of you….” She scrutinized.

His eyes took on the ever familiar predatory glare as he smirked down at her. “Oh make no mistake Warrior. I plan to make good on my victory during our race as well as repayment for the blade _very soon.”_

She pursed her lips and swallowed her heartbeat in her throat at those lascivious words.

+++++++++++++

Tansui explained while there were sailing away that Zeno’s appearance in Kugane may cause problems, as it has always been a free port under the jurisdiction of the Sekiseigumi. Many had already assumed him dead or executed at the hands of the Warrior of Light and it would cause too many headaches for everyone is the crowned prince just suddenly popped up out of nowhere. It would greatly undermine the morality of the confederacy and would do more harm than good. To remedy this he handed the hero and her prisoner some Doman robes and instructed them to change his appearance as much as possible. While not everyone knew what he truly looked like under his legatus helmet, enough did that he would be immediately recognized once they hit the docks of Kugane by _someone._

Zenos stripped of the remains of his armor, tossing it carelessly to one side of the small sailing vessel as he held up a long red robe and examined it. “Warrior, I require your assistance.” He asked as the hero tied the sash to her own robe and straightened it out.

The hero was already vastly distracted by the site of his bare torso and chiseled abs that for a second she didn’t answer. “What…?” She said absent mindedly. The twelve could damn her later, she couldn’t help but look considering there were on a boat that was only meant for 4-5 people.

“You’re assistance.” He said again, smirking at her obvious attraction to him.

“It works like a bath robe, surely you know how to put one of _those_ on.” She huffed indignantly.

“Nay, I’ve never owned one.” He admitted, trying to get the fish to take the bait.

“So what you just waltz around your quarters as bare as your names day?” She regretted asking and tried to push that image from her mind.

“Would you _really_ like to know?” he purred.

“No!” She quickly stated and marched over to him. Grabbing the robe from his hands she hastily dressed him and threw a black obi around his waist. Then she took measure of his hair. “We need to change this. Sit down so I can at least tie it up or something.”

He obeyed and sat on his knees while she went to his back and gathered up his luscious blonde locks in her hands. It was as soft as it looked and for a moment she wondered what his hair care routine was. She raked her fingers through his scalp to evenly pull his hair back and noted a small shudder run through his body. She paused for a second, shrugged it off and continued until she had enough balled in her fist to twist it around into a loose bun that she tied off with a piece of hemp rope. She examined it for a second then nodded it was acceptable. Zenos stood up and turned around, his normally pale cheeks slightly pink and eyes half lidded. He had obviously enjoyed himself.

The hero raised a brow and realized in that moment that she may have actually been the first one to ever touch his hair. He didn’t seem the type to have servants to make up his hair everyday, in fact she was almost certain if any of them attempted it they would find themselves hand less.

They stood there staring at each other for a moment as she examined his face and how relaxed it was in that instance then another revelation hit her. Something that should have been obvious considering the memories she had witnessed within the echo and how he had reacted to her the first time she grabbed a fistful of his hair, Zenos was incredibly touched starved. So much so that even her roughing him up registered to him as some sort of perverse affection in his broken mind. The hero had to keep that in the back of her mind when dealing with him as it could prove to her advantage and subsequently her potential undoing.


	6. Evening of the Matsuri

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zenos and the WOL finally make it to Kugane only to find the town in the middle of a festival. With no place to go and their friends out for vacation, they decide to have a small break where things 'heat up" between her and her "prisoner". Warning for heavy makeout session!

It was nightfall by the time they saw land again and the minute they hit the docks of Kugane the hero breathed a huge sigh of relief. It had been too long since they had seen civilization, tasted real food or slept in a real bed and she had a two do list a few malms long that she wanted to do while she was in town. The night brought with it a different side of Kugane, that was calm and quiet with dim red lighting from the paper lanterns that hung over most buildings. She was grateful for the peace and the ease at which they could move around which would have been impossible in the day time with so many civilians and merchants about.

Their first order of business was at the Ruby Bazaar, where the hero could check in with her friends and potentially contact them again but when they arrived at the door to the office a precarious sign hung on it.

“Out for Vacation? Seriously? Where could those two troublemakers have gone!” The hero complained and put her hands to her hips. Tataru and Hancock were an odd pair but strangely in synch monetarily and organizationally. There were both a bit conniving and underhanded sometimes with a raw sense of humor and cackling laughs but when it came time to put pen to paper both were the strongest negotiators in the financial realm and the hero trusted no other with her money.

She reached into her pocket and felt how much gil she had left, enough for room board and dinner but without the funds of her scion friend she would be out high and dry in no time. What a fine time for those two to be on vacation and then the hero remembered what time of year it was again.

“Oh bugger…that’s right its matsuri season, most big businesses will be closed for the holidays.” She slapped her forehead in exasperation.

Zenos watched the hero with a fair bit of amusement at the predicament and mentally patted himself on the back for snatching her link pearl away. Due to that small incident he had managed to extend his time with the hero by a week or two and now that the scions were out of town she would have no choice but to room with him again. The wheels in his head began turning at that thought and he made a suggestion.

“Since we are not otherwise indisposed….why not simply procure a room nearby? Surely you must have some favors owed to you by the townsfolk who would be happy to room you for a night.”

“As a matter of fact I do…..well….we have no choice…let us be on our way.” The hero conceded and they walked back down the street. When they turned the corner onto the market street they were surprised by the amount of people, activities and music coming from the avenue. No wonder the streets of Kugane seemed so quiet as the entire town seemed to have converged onto this particular street.

The festive music played by live musicians and the red lanterns hanging everywhere made it obvious it was a public affair and it most likely coincided with the season. The hero didn’t have any formal knowledge into Hingan Traditions but did know a festival when she saw one. The smell of roasted food, sweets and sake filled her nose and her mouth instantly watered.

Zenos frowned at the crowd, not liking the idea of having to wade through a sea of savages and the hero noticed his initial hesitation.

“Sorry but we have to cut down this road to reach the bath house, try to be patient and we’ll get through it. Here, stick close to me.” She held out her hand for him without thinking. He stared at it for a moment but relented and slipped his hand into hers, lacing his fingers in hers and letting her take the lead. She cut through the sea of people in Yukatas, the laughing girls who ran by, the merry faces of drunk men and their wives, the sizzling of stand foods cooking on the grill and their proprietors bidding everyone come taste their fare.

Zenos glanced at all activity going around and stopped when they passed by a what appeared to be an outdoor restaurant. Wood tables and chairs were laid out and a few people sat around eating skewers of sweet smelling grilled meat and drinking liquid from small tumblr like glasses.

The hero noticed this and stopped to glance at the eatery as well. It looked oh so delicious and she could only imagine the sweet taste of soy sauce and sugar on her tongue.

“I’d like to make my victory request, warrior. Let us dine together.” Zenos suggested.

“I have no problem with that but I’m not sure if the food will be to your liking.” She shrugged.

“What manner of cuisine is this?” The prince asked.

“Its Yakitori….grilled chicken meat with a savory sauce over it and they are drinking Sake. It’s a strong alcohol made from rice.”

“It will do.” He said simply as they took their seat at a empty table and the hero called out to the cooks.

“We’ll take 10…wait not make that 20 skewers and two bottles of sake please!”

The jolly old cook behind the grill with a over sized apron and headband on nodded and began firing up their order as a elderly lady brought them two bottles of sake and two small glasses. The hero wasted no time popping the cork and pouring them two small tumblers.

“Did you drink much back in Garlemald?” She asked as she passed the cup to him.

“From time to time though Garlean Spirits are vastly different than this I’m sure.” He said as she raised her own glass.

“I suppose we should have a toast…but what should we toast about?” She asked.

“To old enemies and new friends.” He suggested with just a edge of something in his voice.

“Oh my gods…were you trying to make a joke?”

“Perhaps.”

She tried to keep a straight face but it faltered and she gave a quick laugh. “That was horrible but I’ll take it. To old enemies and new friends.” She clinked glasses with him and they both downed their tumbler. He licked his lips and thought on the taste in his mouth. It was dry and smooth with a small kick at the end that warmed his throat the way only high percentage spirits could. It was not bad.

The hero enjoyed the warmth that hit her stomach and sighed in content as she rested her chin in her hand. “Ah the small luxuries in life.”

“Shall we not make pleasant conversation?” Zenos asked. “Is that not what two people do together when dining like this?”

“If by pleasant you mean me whispering dirty things in your ear like a brothel maiden then no." She stated referencing his memories of Yotsuyu. Did it make her a bit sick to her stomach to see that philandering siren hanging off of him, admittedly yes but she wasnt about to tell him that anytime soon.

"Does that thought of that women touching me not sit well with you?" His smug look made it well known he was hoping for a yes.

The hero pouted her lips."That's for me to know and you to find out." and she poured them both another glass.

“While you were able to glean much information from my memories via your echo, I on the other hand, could see none of yours. Would you care to illuminate me on some of your exploits?”

“Such as?”

“You’re fiercest opponent.”

“You of course.” She said simply. “And then you tried to rob me of my victory by taking your own life.”

“Would you have shed a tear for me if I succeeded?” he teased and was met by her frown.

“Yeah actually I would have.” She said with an annoyed voice. “You, who are… _.were_ my enemy. I do not relish the idea of anyone dying, even those who severely deserve it and should you have succeeded we would not be sitting and talking like this now.”

“Then we enjoy each other’s company.” He smirked.

“I don’t know….do we?” She asked with a raised brow as she drank down another cup. “Really, what are we Zenos? We’re not exactly enemies and we aren’t exactly friends considering you’re technically my prisoner.”

“Master and servant then if that pleases you.” He suggested and mirrored her pose, resting his chin in his hand and staring at her through long strands of blonde hair covering half his face.

She stared at him for a moment and felt the weight of his eyes on her. “If that’s your kink then so be it. How shall I reward my servant for his good behavior?” She teased as the cook brought them a plate full of steaming food.

“Any way that pleases my mistress.” He purred back and she felt a small jolt go through her. Holy Hydaelyn his voice always made her feel certain things and she began to feel hot under the collar. Maybe it was just the spirits or maybe just maybe she enjoyed being addressed that way. She was a vaunted hero of Eorzea after all, master of many beasts and she seemingly tamed another one with Zenos. It did stoke her ego and brought out another side of her she didn’t care to share with anyone.

As a Uhl Dahlan fighter she had her fair share of admirers who would promise her the world for a chance to be her lover and that didn’t change as she became the warrior of light. But she could not take anyone that way as much as she would have wished to, even with figures like Lord Aymeric, whom she admired most of all men she had met in her life. There was a bridge she could not gap as the warrior of light, always worrying when her adventures would take her away from her loved ones, always wondering if the next battle would be her last. How could she subject anyone to that uncertainty or the perpetual anxiety that ate away at her.

There was always the underlying fear that loving her would hurt one of them or that her death would and she realized that for once, she wasn’t even thinking about that. With Zenos of all people, she did not worry about enemies hurting him to get to her, of outside influences trying to sway him away or any manipulations turning him from her. He was a force too powerful on his own for anyone to mess with and mentally he was too strong to fall for anyone’s tricks. He was in that sense her equal.

Zenos noticed how she stared absent mindedly at her glass. “I have said something that displeases you.”

She quickly snapped out of it. “No not at all. Quite the opposite, but let us eat before this meat gets cold!” She quickly grabbed one and slid the meat off onto a small plate, using chopsticks to delicately pick up a morsel and pressed it to her companions lips. “Be a good boy and do eat up.”

He oh so deliberately took the piece into his mouth, chewed slowly and licked his lips making sure not to break eye contact with her while he did it. She repeated this until the all the meat was gone from her plate and she reached for the second skewer.

“You are not eating.” Zenos mentioned.

“I’m making sure you get fed first.” She pointed out.

“What a considerate master you are to one you deemed your prisoner. I am honored.” He purred.

“Sure you are, you and every other guy I’ve beaten silly in the ring who’s deemed it sane to fall in love with me after the fact.”

“Did you take many of them to your bed?” He suddenly asked.

“None of your business!” She shot back and downed another glass of Sake. The world was suddenly taking on a fuzzy haze and her cheeks lit up red. “You don’t just ask a women something like that! Have some decency!”

“Of course, how curt of me.” He smiled and picked up a morsel with his fingers, forgoing the chopsticks and pressed it to her lips. She angrily bit into it nipping his finger in the process and crossed her arms over his chest in indignation. Her anger was charming to him and ruffling her feathers was one of the few simple pleasures in life he enjoyed.

“If you’re going to dig into my business, then why don’t we talk about yours? You have had all the chances in the world to escape back to Garlemald, not withstanding the non existent collar you are so sheepishly tying to disguise with that makeshift scarf and yet here you are, still with me. Why didn’t you take your chance and run?” She pointed to his neck revealing the fact she was aware his collar had been gone for a while.

He grinned and pulled off the scarf now that the ruse was up showing the pale untouched skin of his neckline. “Run back to Garlemald with my tail between my legs and miss my chance to observe you and all of your eccentricities? To wile away my days in lucid mediocrity and boredom while wondering of your hunts and exploits? Nay! I will not let this chance slip through my fingers. I will explore all there is to know about you inside and out and unravel all of your secrets and I invite you to do the same with me.”

“Oh my gods….you’re serious?” She rubbed her temples. “You really _will_ follow me to hell and back.”

“Did I not say as much the day before?”

“I didn’t believe you.” She admitted. “I honestly thought you’d make a run for it.”

“Does that not _please_ you, warrior?” he purred and leaned in over the small table.

She opened and closed her mouth several times and she tried to find an appropriate answer. “Well yes…wait no….ugh, yes I guess it does though it shouldn’t.”

“That is well. I would do many more things to please if you, if you would but allow me to.”

She raised a brow. “Oh? After a hard day will you give me a foot rub and hand feed me chocolates?” It was asked with sarcasm.

“If that is what you truly desired, I would not deny you.”

She leaned in and really scrutinized him, wondering where this sudden change of heart and odd sense of charity came from. “And if I asked for the world on a golden platter?”

“Then I would ravage this world and force it to submit to you.” His eyes fell till they were half lidded, the way they often did when he was trying to seduce her and he leaned in towards her.

“That all sounds rather wonderful.” She said in a low voice as she picked up the last of the Yakitori and bit into it. “But that’s not really what I want.”

“I am no stranger to the desires of women…” Zenos smiled.

“And how many have graced _your_ bed your majesty?”

“That’s not something you should ask the crown prince of Garlemald. Have some decency.” He teased, shooting her words back at her.

“You’re infuriating sometimes.” She scowled.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

She growled in frustration. "Must you be so...!.....So........."

His yukata opened slightly so she could see that oh so delicious looking neckline of his and the hint of the scar he has only just so recently earned during their battle with the Lucavi. She had the sudden inexplicable urge to run her tongue over that scar and then tried very hard to put that from her mind. She had to get out of there fast before she visually violated the crowned prince more and lose her control in the process. She would not let the Sake impair her judgement any further!

She jumped up from her seat and made to walk away, having to sober herself up before his words and long soul crushing glances could undo her reasoning. She looked over her shoulder to see his predatory smile aimed her way as he stood and followed after. Weaving around people she stumbled further down the avenue trying to loose him in the crowd but when she turned the next corner a hand grabbed her and yanked her into a dark alley way. Zenos trapped her against the wall and kept her wrist firmly in his grasp.

He lowered his face to hers so there was just a hairs width between their lips, his Garlean third eye touching her forehead. “Do you fear me, warrior?”

“No.” She said breathlessly.

“Then why are you running?”

“Because you make me feel things I shouldn’t!” She retorted.

“There is no shame in your wanting me nor I wanting you. It is natural that we should find attraction in the other for who could dominate us but each other? Who could fathom the bloodshed and hardships that you have seen but I? The bodies of your enemies strewn for fuhlms across Eorzea would encircle the globe and still there would be more room for you to walk. The monsters you have felled that would devour cities whole, the creatures that stalk the shadows who’s machinations would be the end of civilizations who met their demise by your hand…..who can understand the depths of your heart and soul other than one who has seen the same kinds of horrors? Do not deny me, Warrior. I will pursue you time and time again, until you see this very truth.”

His cold eyes peered right into hers and she knew what he spoke was true. She had seen it with the echo. Every hurt she experienced was mirrored in him, every death, every triumph, every loss…everything. She had been a prodigy of the Fighting Arena, and he a prodigy of the Royal Arena, when the death of her parents robbed her of her childhood so had his and where she found meaning in battles so did he. They were opposite sides of the same coin, one who relished the beauty and life found through her fists, and one who relished death and destruction through his blade.

The breath she took in next was too shaky for her own liking, giving away the inner turmoil that was racing through her slightly tipsy brain and while she fought with herself over what to do her body moved for her. Hands grabbed at his robe closing the small distance left between them as lips crashed against each other. He grunted against her as their teeth knocked together and his tongue invaded her mouth, tasting the Sake that she had only recently imbibed.

He was not gentle in his kiss, letting her know through the act that he wanted her and what he wanted he always received, dominating her tongue so it felt as if she were being devoured, his teeth nipping at her top and bottom lip as he did so. It may not have been a perfect kiss but what it lacked in sweetness he made up for with pure unbridled passion. She certainly didn’t protest it and let her hands slide up his chest to that soft blonde hair and laced her hands into it, grabbing it by the handfuls and pulling it at his scalp.

As expected, he broke from the kiss, arching his head back with closed eyes and pink cheeks. With his thick pale neck exposed to her she bent down and bit him firmly over his jugular, feeling the warm flesh fill her mouth and the throb of his heartbeat against her teeth. His body shuddered against hers as if he would collapse but he caught himself on the wall, pressing his palms against it to steady himself as she sucked at the flesh hard enough to make a red welt. The sensation that ran through his body was not unlike being electrocuted as every neuron fired in pleasure.

He moaned out loud and leaned further into her, letting her teeth sink into him again and the combination of her bite and the hands firmly holding his hair had him at a loss. Only his beast could satisfy this need within him. Only his beast could devour him and leave him lost on the tides of lust and passion. Only his beast could evoke such sensations that made his skin crawl and body tingle with delight.

His lips reclaimed hers once more and he pushed himself from the wall. Wanting to feel his hands all over her small body but the moment was interrupted by a series of loud bangs and a splash of color in the sky. They both jumped at the sound, broke the kiss and looked up as the shower of sparkles and color that dappled the black of the night. It was only Fireworks but with the battles they had both seen they had instantly assumed it was gunfire. This brought them both back down to earth and the hero realized what had just happened between the two of them.

She looked at Zenos who’s ruddy half lidded face held nothing back and she gasped. Pushing away from him and putting a hand to her mouth, the feel of his lips still lingering on her own. She had broken that line between them, the line betwixt enemies and lovers and a sense of confusion washed over her. Why did she let his words break her virtue?

“Warrior….” He began carefully, seeing the conflict on her face.

She gathered her wits quickly and straightened herself out. “Tis nothing. It’s getting rather late….we should seek a place to sleep for the night.” Clearing her throat she made her way out of the alley and back onto the busy street.


	7. The Lord of Revel Returns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Susano returns under suspicious circumstances so Zenos and WOL are called into action!

The clerk at the Kugane Ryokan was overjoyed to see the hero again and wasted no time handing her the keys to her own suit before bedding both her and Zenos a good evening. The suite was exactly as she remembered it, her armoire having been left untouched with a variety of clothes and accessories, perfumes and cosmetics at her disposal. Relief spread through her that finally after 4 days of being stuck out on the wilderness they could finally bathe and sleep in relative comfort. The wood walls and tatami floors were a nice upgrade from grass earth and animals furs.

She gave Zenos a quick side glance as he quietly sat down on their one large futon bed, she cursed herself for not asking for a second one to be brought up, and as always his eyes remained glued to her as she went about her routine. At least he wasn’t trying to pounce her again for the time being.

Beyond the paper walls of the sliding screen door was a wooden bath, big enough for two people and already filled with steaming water, ready for their use. She wanted a bath oh desperately but certainly didn’t want to share it with the man who already claimed her lips. There was no telling what tricks he would employ once they were naked together and her heart could only take so much excitement for one night.

She prayed to the gods for a uneventful evening and decided to go for the bath but not before warning her companion. “I’m going to bathe and you are NOT invited. Stay there and behave.” With that she slid open the door, slammed it shut and began to undress.

Zenos chuckled to himself at her hasty retreat, knowing full well their kiss earlier was still fresh on her mind. She was trying to avoid him, avoid looking at him and that coyness was rather endearing. The only women he had much experience with were of the opposite mindset, trying to use their gifts and talents to weasel their way into the royal bed and thus a life of privilege. Having a women resist him so was both exciting and intriguing in its own way and he admired the hero’s resolve. She certainly wasn’t one to trifle with in matters of affection.

He heard the sound of water being disturbed as she settled herself into the water and all was silent, leaving him to himself and his thoughts. Would that she wouldn’t be furious if he dared to join her. He could still taste the sake faintly on his lips from the kiss they shared and the sweet sting for her teeth nipping at his flesh. His fingers grazed the spot where she had graced his flesh and felt the teeth marks lingering there. Another trophy from his beast that he could savor, her ardor hiding just below the surface was a variable furnace waiting to be ignited. If only he could stoke those flames, rile her up so much that she unleashed her fury on him and his body, ravaging him with her kisses.

By the time he cooled those provocative thoughts he heard movement from the bath and the hero re-emerged dressed in a simple cotton night robe, rubbing her hair through a towel. Her flesh was pink from the heat and she sighed in contentment, walking over to her boudoir table and sitting on the small cushion before it.

She glanced at him in the large mirror. “You may use the bath now.”

“Hmmmm. I’d much rather watch you.” He drawled.

“I’d rather not smell you. You do stink after a while you realize.” She rolled her eyes and began dabbing scented oil on her skin.

He gave a hefty sigh and picked himself off the bed, peeling off his robe and letting it drop to the ground as he stalked naked across the room towards the bath. The hero blinked twice at the reflection in her mirror, catching the vast expanse of naked man flesh walking by her then disappearing behind the screen door. Not that she saw much with the angle but that did answer the question she asked earlier in regards to him prancing about his quarters naked. She looked up the heavens and prayed for resolve as she shook the image from her mind and continued her skin care.

A few minutes later a small knock came at her door. She paused to get up and answer it, opening the door and staring out into nothing until a small familiar voice made her look down.

“(y/n)!” Tataru cried with glee at seeing her friend again alive and in one piece.

“Tataru!” The hero cried back and feel to her knees to give her friend a big bug. The small Lalafellen gladly reciprocated. “I thought you and Hancock were on vacation!”

“We were but just returned this evening! Oh (Y/N) you should know all of Ala Mhigo has been looking for you! Alphinaud contacted me not 4 days ago saying you had disappeared on one of your missions! That poor boy was so worried, he’s been calling after you every day since then. Then low and behold someone spotted you in town and informed us! I had to come running back to see if it was really you! Thank the gods you are safe!” Her friend sighed in relief.

“I came by the Bazaar looking for you but your office was closed so I took up room here. Do you have a link pearl on you? I need to contact the other scions.” The hero ushered her friend inside and shut the door but glanced nervously in the direction of the bath, hoping that Zenos would be uninterested in their guest and therefore keep to himself in there.

“Unfortunately no, I left mine at the Bazaar but if you come with me you can have it.”

“Its very late…..once you get back just let Alphy know that I am alive and well and….”he” is still with me.” She said cryptically.

“Ah yes the local who spotted you said you were in the company of a tall young man.” Tataru gave a sly smile. “So who is it? A new lover?”

The hero waved her hands. “Gods no…its…”

The sliding door of the bath opened and with a plume of steam Zenos walked out before them naked and wet. He stood in the door frame unfazed by the gaze of the two ladies and looked at the small Lalafell with disinterest.

The two girls stared with wide eyes at the Adonis before them, who’s fine muscles and physique could have been sculpted by the gods. His wet hair in long strands down those chiseled pectorals, dripping water down he plains of his abs and further to his manhood. That answered the other question the hero had jokingly asked once upon a time, was his dick the size of his sword. Indeed it was.

“Oh my….”Tataru stuttered and blushed but had a small smile on her lips as the hero slapped a hand over the small girls eyes and shouted at the man.

“Zenos! Put some damn clothes on you exhibitionist!” Her face felt so hot and she knew she must be blushing a deep shade of red. His expression was blank as he walked by them and picked up the robe he tossed on the floor before putting it back on.

“And who might the little Piglet be.” He asked as he brushed his hair to the side and kept his back to them.

“Piglet?” Tataru’s tone changed to annoyed as she pulled the hero’s hands off her face and growled at the man. “You may have a pretty face but you lack manners!”

“You’d best apologize Zenos, she can be quite the tiny terror if provoked.” The hero warned.

“So this is the ever infamous Zenos Yae Galvus? I did hear a rumor that you had turned him from prisoner to pet. Seems he needs further training.” The tiny lady threatened. One thing the small lalafellen did know how to handle, aside from books and taxes, was arrogant ogre’s who paraded themselves around in the skin of men. What she lacked in strength she made up for in wit.

“Charmed, I’m sure.” He frowned and sat back down on the bed.

“Ignore him for now.” The hero stated and changed the subject. “Once you get back just tell the others we are alive and they can come to collect us at their convenience.”

“It may be a while, the Alliance in Ala Mhigo has their hands tied getting their kingdom back together and cid has been sent elsewhere for other matters. If you want to get back to Eorzea you may need to book passage independently.” Tataru shrugged. “Oh…there is one other thing perhaps you and your imperial plaything should consider. Just the other day, some Garlean Officials came to Ala Mhigo to negotiate the crowned Prince’s release but Alphinaud made it known they had lost contact with you. They left without causing any problems but we have heard nothing of them sense.”

The hero touched her chin. “So the Garlean’s came calling after all.” She looked at the mand now sitting on her bed passively. At the mention of Garlemald he showed no outward emotion or interest in the subject but since he made no attempts to escape since his internment she expected as much.

Something felt off. It was just the other day they had happened across the destruction of Black Rose on the Steppe. Surely the Garleans with all their technology and spies would know the Prince was nearby unless a separate task force was sent in secret to collect Zenos.

“No Imperials have been seen here have they?” She asked to be sure.

Tataru shook her head. “No.”

“Hmmmm. Well….that is a good thing, me thinks. Thanks Tataru for finding me and telling me this.”

“Of course (y/n)! I’ll leave you alone for the evening so try to sleep well….and if that beast gives you any lip I will be sure to remedy it. Hancock and I have a variety of contraptions we might try on him.” She grinned wickedly and left the room.

With the small lady out of the way the hero turned to Zenos. “Get off my bed!”

“You would have me sleep on the floor?”

“I don’t care where you sleep but it wont be with me!” She picked up a pillow and slapped him with it.

“Why the sudden change of heart? You took no issue with it on the Steppe.” He grinned at her indignation and swatted the pillow aside.

“Because now I have a choice!”

“Hero, you can’t deny nor hide what transpired between us earlier and while I am eager to taste your lips again as you are mine, I would not force anything between us that was not already present.” He laid out on the bed and stretched his long legs, a expanse of bare thigh showing through the slit up the side. “Let us not argue, come to bed.”

“Get over yourself!” She growled and snatched her blanket up, fully intending to sleep on the floor if she had to. He grabbed the corner of it and yanked hard and she found herself falling backwards into his arms. He wrestled her down onto the bed, her back to his chest in a spooning position as he wrapped strong arms around her that refused to let her go.

She wriggled in his grasp but he slung a leg over hers for good measure, keeping her pinned to him and then he laid his lips next to her ears. “Shhhh shhhhhhh, sweet dreams fair warrior.” He coo’d to her the way a mother might to a child and laid his cheek on her head.

She struggled some more and growled in frustration before finally giving up. A few minutes of silence past between then and as before his breathing became steady and slow. He was asleep in no time, his warm breath tickling her ear. How on earth he managed to sleep so quickly was a talent on its own and the hero had to admit it was nice being tucked up against him. His warm body fitted perfectly against her back. If things were a bit different between them should would even enjoy it but for now it was just awkward.

After a big long sigh she closed her eyes and tried to settle down for sleep.

************************

A series of loud knocks came at her door and a small voice shouted from the hallway. “(y/n)! It’s Tataru! I’m coming in!”

The hero sat up with sleep heavy eyes and tried to rouse herself as Zenos grumbled and pulled her back down with the arm around her waist.

“Tataru?” She called out as the door opened and the small lady walked in, her face wrought with terror.

“I’m sorry to disturb you but it’s a emergency. Soroban is calling for you! It’s the Kojin….well the red ones they’ve been…well…massacred!” Tataru said and clenched her fists to her chest in fear.

“Massacred?” The hero shook her head and slapped her face a few times and pushed Zenos’s arm aside as she jumped up from the bed. “By who? By what?”

“You won’t believe this but Soroban says its was Susano!”

“The primal? How can that be when I slayed him!?” The hero wasted no time running to her Armoire and preparing her uniform. “Zenos, unless you plan to sleep in bed all day, we got a primal to hunt!”

He sat up lazily and pushed his long hair from his face. “Must you run off to every beastman’s beck and call?”

“I am the warrior of light, it comes with the territory. Stay here if you feel like.”

“And miss a chance to observe you in battle, I think not.” He frowned and jumped out of bed, his rob half open at the chest and frumpled from sleep.

“Tataru, can you hook this big guy up with some armor and a weapon?” The hero jutted her jaw at Zenos.

“I sure can! Just leave it to me! We’ll be waiting at the office!” Tataru nodded and ran off.

“How could Susano have returned when his relics were destroyed?” The hero mumbled to herself and she hastily put on her yellow Temple Cyclas and matching gear. It had been ages since she had worn traditional monks garb, always opting for more casual clothing and she felt the yellow made her stand out too much, but if she was going up against Susano again, she needed the best.

Quickly wrapping her hair up into tight updo, she beckoned her companion follow her to the Ruby Bazaar.

*************

The hero was greeted by two a few familiar faces within the Bazaar office when she arrived and everyone looked as pensive at the other. Soroban, the Kojin who befriended the hero during her doman adventures was there along with Hancock, Tataru and Tansui.

“The generous warrior returns. I am very grateful, my friend.” Soroban bowed to her.

“Tataru most likely already appraised you of the situation but let us hear the tale from Soroban’s mouth.” Hancock adjusted his glasses and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Just the other day the sea smelled of blood so much so our mantas would not swim out of the safety of our village. I am my brother’s thought this odd and went to investigate, what we found lead us to the haven of the Red and within their stronghold naught one of was spared. Every single Red Kojin was dead. Put to the blade by the Lord Of Revel. I saw it with my own eyes! Susano standing upon the bodies of the fallen!” Soroban explained.

“How can that be when his relics were destroyed not so long ago. You saw it yourself how I destroyed him.” The hero reasoned.

Tansui stepped forward. “Admitedly I am to blame for it. Ame no Habakiri fell back into their hands.”

“Ame no Habakiri….the red kojin blade?” The hero drilled the pirate with her eyes.

He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. “After the Prince pawned it off to us the Red’s took us by surprise out in the middle of the Ruby Sea. They overpowered us and made off with the blade.”

“Really Tansui…that blade was priceless!” the hero drawled in frustration.

“Then mayhaps I can remedy this dilemma.” Zenos spoke up. “I was rather fond of that blade and would see it back into my hands. Allow me to duel with the Lord of Revel in your stead, fair warrior.”

She gave him a funny look. “Something tells me you’re going to demand compensation for the effort.”

He smirked. “Naturally. I will leave the manner of compensation up to your imagination.”

“Must you talk like that in public!” She chastised.

“It may not be that simple.” Tansui cut in. “The Kojin Blade is rumored to be indestructible and if Susano if wielding it then you cant beat him with conventional weapons. You will need something to rival its strength.”

“You’re suggestions then?”

Tansui held long red velvet bag and let the top drop open, a sword handle protruded from it. “Masamune, the strongest Katana ever forged by the hands of men. It is also rumored to be indestructible so mayhaps you can put the legend to the test. Let’s see which katana survives the fight.

The hero nodded her head to Zenos who accepted the blade, pulling it out and marveling at the long straight blade.

“To the pool of tribute then!” She announced.

************************

“HARKEN UNTO THE HEAVENS! WHERE IS MY FOE, WHERE IS THE WARRIOR? SHE WHO FELLED ME WITH HER MIGHTY FIST, LET HER FACE ME AGAIN!” Susano’s deep baritone voice echoed within the tribute arena. His large armored body twirled this way and that seeking out another foe to kill, the body of countless red’s at his feet already.

“Lord Of Revel! Calm your fury! I have come!” The hero called out as she stepped onto the wet grounds of the Pool with Zenos. “Why have you awakened oh great Susano? What has ignited your rage?”

“FURY? NAY WHAT BURNS IN MY HEART IS FAR GREATER, ILLUSTRIOUS WARRIOR OF LIGHT! A DESIRE TO MEET YOUR FISTS IN BATTLE ONCE MORE, TO REVEL IN OUR STRIFE!”

The hero raised a brow and frowned. That manner of speaking was far to familiar, far too much like Zenos that she had to look at her tall blonde partner and then back at the Primal.

“As much as I would love to engage you again great lord Susano, I have brought another warrior who wishes to face you in battle. Should you win against him then I will take his place but do test his mettle, he is a great swordsman. Go for it, Legatus of the 12th.” She handed him the longsword.

“You flatter me.” Zenos smiled as he stepped onto the stage and towards he primal.

Susano looked down at the small man. “INDEED HIS AETHER BURNS BRIGHT AND TRUE, SUCH POWER! SUCH STRENGTH! BUT TIS NOTHING COMPARED TO THE BRIGHT BURNING STAR THAT IS THE WARRIOR OF LIGHT! YOU ARE BUT A WHELP IN COMPARISON TO HER PROWESS AND NONE CAN SATISFY MY LUST FOR BATTLE THAN HER!”

Ok not the situation was officially creepy, that was way too much like Zenos for it to be coincidence and the hero titled her head in curiosity to this new Lord of Revel. Perhaps in re assimilating Ame no Habakiri’s power the Primal also took a part of Zenos which meant that the sword was sentient in some way. This would make for a very interesting fight.

Zenos argued back with indignation. “You dare to insult me by refusing to duel? Know you who your master is, beast! I have felled greater creatures than you!”

Susano completely ignored the crown prince and charged for the hero, the ground rumbling with each step. “COME TO ME MY ENEMY! LET US DANCE!”

The hero braced for it and caught his first downward sword strike with her fist. The metal making sparks where it contacted as she pitted her strength against his. Him pushing down with his enormous body and her holding it back with just one first in the air. And then her echo decided to activate.

Susano used her moment of confusion to swing again, causing a psionic wave to hit her and send her flying across the arena where she rolled on the ground and skidded to a stop. She staggered onto her knees and grabbed her head as the images flooded her mind.

The sword had many previous owners, some human, some beastmen but all shared common traits of ambition and bloodlust, all of them meeting untimely ends as warriors were prone to and the sword migrating from one hand to the next.

However, its last owner, Zenos Yae Galvus had been its favorite. Its bloodlust satiated on his enemies, its dark soul singing with joy every time he wielded until the swords spirit and its master were near indistinguishable. It was so infused with power from its battles in the hands of Zenos that is was enough to initiate another summoning of Susano and because that power came so intrinsic from Zenos, some of his personality went with it.

But with the echo came all the horrors of past wars, death and destruction, the bodies of legions strewn from there to the ends of the earth. Right at the end however was something else, something very unexpected. _Longing_. Somewhere in all that chaos was a desire for something, to possess it and keep it always by its side. Such fierce longing and the hero realized that was not the swords feelings but another emotion imparted by its previous owner. It was Zenos’s inner most desires.

She shook her head and tried to get her consciousness to come round as she looked up and saw the primals blade coming down on her once more. She braced for it, raising her armored arms up to catch the blade that threatened to cleave her in to but Zenos jumped in front of her and caught it with his own.

“Did I give you permission to turn away from me, foul wretched creature!” Zenos roared.

He darted forward in his sleek black and silver allagan armor, compliments of the aldernard trading company’s well stocked coffers, and met the Primal’s blade with his own. Sparks flew where metal hit metal and with each swing a loud clang stung the hero’s ears.

The primal of course was mega powerful, swift and fast, capable of decimating tribes with but a blow and then there was Zenos, who’s unparalleled skills and augmented body could do just the same. Their blows met each other over and over again like to fencers dancing across the floor and the hero watched with wonder at the choreographed dance between them.

Of course she had witnessed many warriors fighting in the fray during her many campaigns but this was something else. The way the prince moved was so fluid and smooth that his feet barely made ripples in the ankle deep water they stood in. With his gold hair flailing out behind him and his blade producing flashes of light with each swing, the hero thought she was watching a marvelous stage production with the most gorgeous of warriors playing the lead.

 _Gorgeous?_ The hero shook her head and slapped her cheeks. Zenos was gorgeous alright among other things, arrogant, pig headed, callous and vainglorious being the others.

Her distraction almost costed her life as suddenly the Primal was diving towards her with the Legatus driving his sword through the things neck as he rode the things back like a rider on a chocobo. She yelped and dived out of the way just in time for the large armored body to come crashing down next to her and she noted the sword that it clung to. It was without a doubt the Ame no Habakiri and now was a great trim to try to wrestle it from the things grasp.

She went for it, grabbing the large fingers that curled around the handle and tried to pry them off but the grip was iron and the moment she made physical contact with the blade, her echo flared. A series of very quick images flashed through her mind.

“Do not interfere with my hunt, Warrior!” he threatened over his shoulder and with a hefty swing drove the primal back and continued his assault.

“We must destroy that sword!” The hero shouted.

“I will not loose my favorite side arm!” Zenos growled back.

“It’s the source of his power!” She shouted back and charged at the primal, catching the creatures arm and clinging to it, once again trying to pry it from his hands.

Zenos jumped up high and brought the sword down on the arm, it severed at the elbow and the hero fell to the ground with the large appendage falling on top of her. She grabbed the sword and kicked the arm away.

“DO NOT STAND BETWEEN MY WARRIOR AND I WRETCHED WEAKLING!” The primal shouted and despite having no sword arm left to fight with barreled at the Legatus.

“The warrior belongs to me and only me. I would never allow you to have her in either word or deed. Go back to abyss whence you came, you mewling foul thing!” Zenos growled and mounted the primal back, placing the sword to its throat and beheading him. It was not a clean slice with a creature who wore armor from head to toe and Zenos brutally sawed through it all as he grabbed the red plumed hair of the helmet and tore the entire thing off.

The primal’s body slumped forward and it moved no more and there stood the crowned prince atop his giant corpse with a trophy in his hand, looking as cruel as ever in all his glory. He tossed the head to the side as the body dissipated back into its corporeal aether and faded away, then stalked towards the warrior who held onto the sword.

“By what did you think to hesitate so?” He scolded at how she did nothing to stave the attack that came down on her.

“I would have but the echo decided to show me something instead. In regards to this.” She held up the sword. “The Lord of Revel was able to be re-summoned by the power of this blade alone, power it had absorbed from you and all its previous owners. This blade should not exist!” She warned.

“Such a quality raises its value in mine eyes.”

“Susano also absorbed some of your personality traits. Did you not think it odd how he was speaking of me?”

He raised a brow at her question. “Like a lovestruck fool.”

The hero almost bursted out laughing but bit her lip, hard. “It sounded a fair bit like you…” She said delicately.

Zenos frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. “ I do not sound like that.”

“If you say so. Either way the sword can never see the light of day again. I saw we destroy it and besides it seems that masamune suited you well. You looked pretty spectacular fighting with it.”

He looked at the long blade and agreed that it handled well. “Tis a strange blade but swift and strong. I suppose it will do.”

“Why don’t we test that legend and see which one is stronger?” She suggested and raised the Katana.

Zenos shrugged. “If we must.” He mirrored her and after a second they both swung the swords with all their might. When the blades collided the Ame No Habakiri shattered into a thousand silver shards.

“The Masamune wins!” The hero marveled and dropped the now lifeless hilt to the ground with a clang.

“Hmmm.” Zenos seemed unimpressed as he slipped it back into its scabbard and slung it over his shoulder. “I expected more from a Primal, after all they have been the bane of mankind for eons. He was hardly worth the effort.”

“You say that about all battles but hey a victory is a victory. Lets get back to the surface and atleast celebrate with some food and drinks.”

Zenos bent down so his face was right over hers. “Need I remind you, you owe me not only for giving up my sword to begin with, but also for now destroying it. The stakes are high, warrior, let’s hope you can compensate.”

“Who’d of thought the Crown Prince would be such an extortionist.” She replied in annoyance.

“All is fair in love and war, as the saying goes.” He smirked and began walking away.

The hero sighed and shook her head at him in exasperation. Zenos, she swore, would probably one day be the death of her. Quite literally if his libidinous remarks ever managed to give her a true heart attack.


	8. One Night Affair (EX)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a explicit chapter!!! Warning for SMUT!!! Skip if you cant handle the heat! Side warning for angst....and sex...angsty sex.
> 
> Zenos and Wol have a heart to heart talk that leads to ....other things .....

“Ow, what the heck?” The hero winced at the sudden bloom of pain in her rib cage. She rubbed it tenderly and opened her robe to look in the mirror. A rather large size blue bruise was imprinted on her skin right underneath her left breast. A small reminder of the blow Susano had dealt her only hours earlier.

“Oh great….” She muttered under her breath and closed her robe, turning to Zenos who was sitting on the tatami floor and enjoying a sushi dinner brought up to their room. After returning from the Pool of Tribute, they both decided to have the rest of the day in and tend to their battle wounds. So a large platter of sushi was ordered and take out was delivered to their room.

“Problems?” Zenos asked from his place on the floor.

“Just a nice bruise from the Lord Of Revel. Nothing a hot bath wouldn’t fix.”

“Let me see.” He commanded.

“Pshhh, like I’m just going to undress in front of you.” She rolled her eyes. He jumped up and pulled the sash of her robe before she could protest, the panels opening to show the entire kit and kaboodle as she screamed and swatted his hands away. “What do you think you’re doing?!”

She hastily closed her robe again and clamped it shut with her arms. He sneered for a moment and fought her for it, picking her up and throwing her unceremoniously on the bed before straddling her and ripping open her lapels once more, staring down at the large black and blue mark. She quickly clamped arms across her breasts.

“To think that unworthy miscreation left a mark on my warrior’s person….”He frowned and let his fingers grace the skin. She slapped a hand over her mouth to keep from giggling at the sensation. She was horrendously ticklish in general.

“Does it hurt?” He asked with a funny look.

She shook her head and asked with a muffled voice. “What’s with this “MY” warrior business? I am not yours.”

His face softened. “You will be in time.”

“As if I don’t have a choice in the matter?” She frowned.

“You would reject me?”

“If you’re attitude doesn’t change then yes.” She removed her hand from her mouth and gave him a cross look.

“And what is it about me that you find lacking?” He challenged and planted his hands on either side of her head.

“You’re arrogant and selfish.” She said bluntly.

“Yes….and…?” He purred.

“Rude and manipulating.”

“Indeed….and?”

“And?!” She asked with disbelief and stared right into those ice blue eyes. “And an incessant pain in the arse is what!”

“And you are Indecisive, prudish, self righteous, easy to read, eager to please, blind worshipping peon of Hydaelyn who doesn’t have enough backbone to tell the gods to piss off as they rampantly use you for their exclusive benefit.” He shot back in one breath. “How many primals and monsters will you have to fell to satisfy their needs and not your own? Hunt for the joy of it, not because those lowborn mewling proletariats yank your chain as if you were a dog they could sick on their prey!”

“Nah I’ll save the chains for you Zenos!” She growled and slapped him hard across the face. It stunned him for a moment. She was the first to lay hands on him in such a way and as much as it should have angered him, it didn’t. It amused him. It was like having a small raging tiger between his legs.

“The beast bares her claws.” He chuckled. “Are you in foul spirits my pet? Mayhap some careful ministrations will ease your temper.”

Her face went bright red. “That has to be an innuendo if its coming from your mouth.”

He picked up the hand that slapped him and laid it back against his cheek, nuzzling into it the way a grumpy cat might trying to get the affections of its owner. “I have need of you this evening and must needs collect on my favor. Touch me hero, in anyway that you see fit. Be it tender or violent, give me your undivided attention.” With that he lowered himself so that his weight pressed her down into the futon and his face was buried in the side of her neck.

The hero frowned for a second. This was not what she thought he had in mind and was perplexed by his strange request. “Oh you meant...” She was almost disappointed he didn’t push the issue further. Was she expecting something a bit more saucy? A kiss? A fondle? She internally cursed herself that indeed she did.

“Uh….sure….alright.” She muttered and began coming her hand through his hair. That oh so luscious silky hair. If she had to pin down what she thought was most attractive about him she would have to say his long and the first thing she noticed about him upon their second meeting, when he unmasked himself, was his hair. He rumbled with satisfaction and relaxed into her.

“Why do you keep your hair so long anyway?” She asked.

“I like it long.” He said simply.

“Fair enough.” She shrugged and swept his long hair to one side, noticing the faint lines of scars across his shoulders. One for every battle fought, small trophies from his victories no less but there were some there that seemed foreign, not made by a blade or weapon. “What are these.” She asked as she grazed her fingers of the strange scars.

“Left overs from medical experimentations.” He explained as if it were nothing at all and then the hero remembered the vision she saw in the echo, of him being strapped down on a gurney receiving some sort of treatment.

“Experimentations……you mean…such as when you received the resonance?”

“Some before that as well. Augmentation of the human body is a Garlean cultural expectation and those who can afford it often have changes made to physical appearance as well as physical strengths. In my case, I wanted to have my body pushed to limits, to become something that could not be repeated. Thus I underwent several operations.”

“You willingly allowed your scientists to use you as a guinea pig.” The hero said in a hushed voice. The entire mood changed in an instant. She knew of the Garlean experimentations but why someone would so willingly put themselves under the needle to achieve anything was beyond her. It seemed so vulgar, so unnatural, like an insult to the gods for having even been born human. What was it Zenos was trying to achieve through all this pain?

Zenos propped his head up to look at the cross expression knitted in her brow. “This concept bothers you somehow?”

“I saw those experimentations via the echo and also felt the pain you had endured. Why would you ever deem to subject yourself to that sort of torture? For strength? Is that all it was ever about?”

“I fail to see why that would be such a problem.”

“A rational person does not put themselves through that much pain for the sake of strength alone….” And then she remembered what Ame No Habakiri revealed to her in regards to Zenos inner most feelings. “You are longing for something. You told me before we fought in the Menagerie you wanted a beast without parallel, a companion to enjoy your hunt, someone who could rival your own strength and skill. It’s loneliness isn’t it, that drives you. Hopelessness….no that’s not right, its hope.”

“Now my beast thinks herself a mind reader, how quaint.” He said in a tone that was not pleased. She had hit the nail on the head and he was now an emotional open book to her, it left him in a precarious position to have someone know his inner most insecurities. He pushed himself up and stared down at her, she who dared to stare at him with both defiance and pity and it made something in his stomach knot.

“There is that look _again_! That pitiful sad look you give me as I am some lame animal that needs your altruistic kindness!” He growled. “How I hate that look and the feeling the wells up inside me when you give it to me! As if I am unworthy and defective!”

“Then what is it you want from me?” She asked back in confusion.

“ _Everything!”_ He groaned in a face that was unusually fraught with worry. “Your anger, your rage, your lust, your hurts, your heart, your love!…..” he paused and swallowed, he had gone to far, told her too much. She unwittingly broke down his defenses and got him to admit things he meant to keep secret and use for his own manipulations. He lost his self control and for the once the cold princely façade fell, and all that was there was a small Garlean boy who had to put his mother’s body to the torch.

The hero watched him with wide eyes as his mask fell and smiled at him with a sort of sweet satisfaction and he glared at her in return. That anger quickly dissipated when she cupped his face in her hands and brought it closer to hers so she could plant a gentle kiss on his third eye.

“What are you doing…?” he grumbled as her lips moved about his face, ghosting small kisses here and there as if she were mapping his features by feel alone.

“Loving you.” She said quietly. “Isn’t that what you wanted?”

He didn’t answer and she pressed her small lips to his. His mouth opened to receive hers and felt her small tongue slip inside to taste him. It was slow and deep, a far cry from their lust and alcohol fueled escapade they experienced the days ago. They worked their mouths and tongues against each other in a slow rhythm for a time until she caught his lower lip between her teeth and scraped it gently as she released it, relaxing back into her pillow. 

“My beast….” Zenos began in a quiet voice, taking measure of the hazy look in her eyes before claiming her lips once more, this time not so gently. What he wanted he took and if she was inviting him he would surely take all she had to offer and more. He kissed her as hard and deep as possible, growling against her mouth and leaving no part of undiscovered by his tongue. He only paused when they were both desperate for air and broke away to catch his breath.

Meanwhile, hands wandered and while one wrapped around the back of her neck so she was cradled in the cook of his elbow, the other hand slid under the lapels of her robe to feel the soft flesh underneath, starting from the delicate skin of her neckline and down to her breasts. He brushed his palm against that fleshy mound, circling his thumb around its areola and eliciting a breathy moan from the hero.

He watched her eyes close, cheeks redden back arch against him, inviting him to touch her more which he gladly obliged, listening to her pleasurable sounds and feeling that coil tighten in his stomach. Ah, desire. Not that he was a stranger to it but there was a desperation to this act that he hadn’t felt before. The burning need to have her, bury himself in her and to devour her heart and soul. It was not just an act of sex but something so much more.

His kisses moved down to her neck where he could suck that tender flesh and nip at it with his teeth, grazing his canines over the most vital parts and playfully teasing it with his lips. She shivered at the feel but turned her head to give him better access and he marked her the same way she did to him, sucking hard at the skin enough to bring blood to the surface, enough to cause some small measure of pain that quickly replaced itself with arousal.

She gasped, she groaned and bucked under him, her hands sliding into his robe and down his back feeling the abundance of muscle that rippled underneath his skin until his hand slipped from her breast and flicked her robe open so everything was exposed. He paused just enough to admire the body beneath him before that same hand went even lower and cupped the hot warmth between her legs.

He rested his palm at the top of her pubic bone then slid his finger into that warm crevasse, sampling the moisture and warmth, rubbing back and forth along that small bundle of nerves and feeling her body heat up. Her legs spread apart under his ministrations, allowing him better access to her most sensitive parts and he took the invitation to insert a finger inside of her. Her hips involuntarily bucked under his hand as he stroked her over and over again, her body growing more and more supple.

“Oh gods…!” She breathed against his lips as his fingers worked her over. Another finger joined into the fray and he beckoned his fingers inside of her, stroking the front walls of her sex and causing her pelvic walls to tighten. Zenos watched her flush from her face to her chest, lips swollen from his kisses, eyes half lidded and glossed over with desire. She was ready for him and ripe for the taking so he removed his hands from her and sat up on his knees so he could peel his own robe from himself and toss it to the floor as he drank in the site of her nude form between his legs. She had just as many scars as he did, been through just as many battles, won just as many victories and in the darkened light of evening she was every bit a women with all the physical bounties a women should possess.

His blue eyes leered over every inch of her flesh before sliding his knees between her legs and resting his pelvis below hers so his manhood just barely pressed against her entrance but his head was perfectly paralleled over hers. “Hero….I will not take you lest you beg me to. Tell me you want me.” He teased and nipped at her jawline. Her breathing was so heavy and her face flushed she had to swallow a few times to find her voice. She looked into his eyes and tried to find suitable words as begging was not her style.

“I will never beg you for anything.” She said but the breathless sound of her voice betrayed her desires.

“Oh? All you need do is ask and it will be given.” He grinned against her skin and pushed himself slightly into her opening enough to make her gasp. She had not had anyone in years and certainly no one his size so while it did not hurt per se it certainly felt tight but her body was begging for more. “No?”

“Zenos…!” She gasped again as he pushed in a bit further. He was teasing her, goading her on, trying to break her self control and she knew it. That was so like him and she expected no less in the bedroom but she had her pride as well.

“Tell me you want me.” He commanded again and then slid into her all the way until he could go no further. She cried out and wriggled underneath him, her hips grinding against his. There was no pain, quite the opposite, the feel of his girth inside her was deliciously pleasurable and she could scarce think straight.

“Let me hear your arousing words and inviting sounds. Go on my beast, cry for me!” He began to thrust into her slowly until he felt her slickness cover his organ and he moved at a steady pace. She couldn’t help but moan and clung to him desperately as his hips slapped against hers. She raked nails down his back and bit into his shoulders in the throes of her passion and he groaned in joy at the sensation. His beast could bear her claws and fangs at him, drink every drop of blood, lap up the remains and he would still gladly give more.

Not before long, beads of sweat formed on his brow as he moved and soon his breath was coming out in quick huffs but as much as the ecstasy threatened to end him quickly he fought on, not wanting the moment to end and wanting his beast to have her fair share of him. He suddenly stopped and withdrew himself, grabbed her by the hips and rolled her over onto her stomach. She didn’t protest and clung to her pillow when he gripped her from behind and buried himself into her again.

The angle was deeper, allowing him to fill her all the way until he bottomed out and then thrusted into her again hard and fast. With every slap of his hips on her bum her threw her head back and cried out, feeling his organ hit that sweet spot inside of her that made her legs shiver and stomach tighten. With every stroke she felt it grow tighter and tighter until she begged for release.

“I will give you release when you beg for it.” Zenos growled, feeling himself on the verge of orgasm.

“Zenos…!” She cried out.

He bent over her back and nipped at her shoulder blades with his teeth before breathing into her ear. “Tell me!” His hand snaked around her waist until his fingers danced over that small bundle of nerves between her legs.

She couldn’t take it anymore. The tingling in her chest and tightness in her stomach was too much to bear. “Please Zenos! Please! Oh god’s Please!”

He grinned to himself in triumph and quickly swirled his fingers over her most sensitive spot. He felt her thighs tighten, her insides flooded with heat and her body shudder. She grabbed her pillow as if it were her lifeline and moaned as if she were dying. Her insides clenched down on his manhood and throbbed over and over in pleasure as her orgasm took her hard. She would have collapsed onto the futon in a puddle if he hadn’t kept his hands on her hips, still thrusting into her with vigor through her pleasure until it finally took him too.

He gave one last thrust as he eyes rolled up into his head and he growled through his teeth, his organ releasing into her before he was entirely spent. His chest pressed to her back and they both fell to the futon, her sandwiched between him and the mattress. He was heavy but it was a good feeling. It grounded her back to reality and brought her mind back from cloud nine as they both struggled to catch their breath.

They laid there in their afterglow, silent and satiated. He shifted his weight to her side and, as before, slipped his arms around her so that she was completely spooned up against his chest. With his lips against the temple of her head, he murmured something unintelligible and was soon asleep, leaving the hero alone with her thoughts.

She felt no guilt over the act, her body too wonderfully satisfied to complain but now she wondered what this meant for her and Zenos. They had just crossed boundaries from friends to lovers, or was that even what they were? Maybe this was simply a one night affair, but judging by how fervently he had pursued her the past months, it most likely wasn’t. What would the scions think should they ever find out, and surely they would. What chastizations would come her way once Aymeric found out.

Why did she even let it go this far? She really could have just kept him in the prison, feeding him through slot in the door as he rotted there till kingdom come but if she were to be entirely honest with herself, she wanted him just as much as he wanted her. That attraction had always been there from the start, they were now just finally acting on it.

She turned so that, for once, she was facing him and watched his sleeping countenance, slipping her arms around his neck and snuggling herself into his chest. She would worry about repercussions at another time but for now, she wanted to enjoy whatever warmth she could get, even if it was from the crowned prince of Garlemald. Her enemy, her friend and now much more.


	9. To the victor goes the spoils

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> and Im back with more Yandare Zenos action! You didnt really think id make the WOL and his relationship so easy right? Sorry to break your hearts for a few chapters but a certain Ascian needs his body for nefarious reasons.

The early morning sun had just hit the paper screen of the inn’s window when Zenos awoke. He was never the type to sleep in past sunrise for a number of reasons. Firstly being that his duties as legatus of the 12th usually took up most of his day, second being that he was always hyper alert of his surroundings. While sleep came easy for him at night it never stuck around once the sun peaked over the horizon.

So he sat up on the futon and looked at the naked form of the women next to him, well aware of the revelry they shared the night before and admiring the many bite marks and hickies he left all over her back and neck. She sighed and turned over so her bare back was to him and he wasted no time planting a small kiss over the darkest of bruises along her shoulder before climbing out of bed and throwing the cover back over the sleeping hero.

Stretching his arms over his head for a second, he groaned and then walked over to the window. Opening the sliding screen and taking a breath of fresh air, he leaned over the sill enough to speak to the small unobtrusive creature that waited under their window and had been for the past hour or so.

Namazu were unassuming creatures, more interested in commerce and wealth than anything else. They also had a nasty reputation of being backstabbers, spies and traffickers when enough money was thrown their way. This small grey tadpole was no different and awaited his masters orders with the expectation of great compensation at the end. Garlemald had no shortage of spies around the world they could make use of at any given time.

“Contact Garlemald and tell them they are to meet me in Kugane as soon as possible. They are to make passage for myself and the warrior of light to return my kingdom post haste.” Zenos said in a quiet voice. The Namazu heard everything clearly and waddled away.

With that bit out of the way he turned his attention to more pressing matters. His beast would be hungry and sore upon her waking up and he would be remiss to leave her unattended. He glanced again at the peacefully sleeping warrior and smiled to himself. Victory was ever so sweet a feeling.

*********

Pain was the first thing that registered in her sleep addled brain when she woke up and turned over but it was a good kind of pain. The type of pain that came with a evening of passion. The hero yawned and rubbed her eyes with her palms then felt the imprint of teeth here and there and the small bruises that came with them. Her and Zenos had made mad passionate love the previous night and the writing was on the wall, there was no way she’d be able to hide all the evidence of it.

She forced herself to sit up and stumbled up off the bed, half asleep as she piddled towards the bath in the far corner.

“Hero, Breakfast has been delivered.” Zenos announced from his spot at the small snack table that sat in the middle of the room. She didn’t even glance at the assortments of food that had magically appeared on it.

She ruffled her hair and yawned. “I need a bath.”

“You must needs regain your strength after our tryst last night.”

“Tryst….that’s a fine word for it…”She mumbled and opened the screen door to the Rotenburo, checked the water with her hand which was always keep hot and ready then stepped in.

“Would you prefer different terminology?”

“No…..but you were rather rough!” She scolded from inside the tub.

“A perfect demonstration of my ardor.” He teased and stood in the doorframe watching her as she settled into the hot water and laid her head back against the wood rim. “Mayhap I must needs remedy my roughness from the other night?”

“Mmmm.” The hero hummed absent mindedly as she let the hot water soothe her sore muscles. Zenos let his robe drop to the floor as he climbed in with her. She shifted herself so she sat between his legs and rested her head on his chest, enjoying a rare serene moment between the two of them. Down time like this didn’t come often for either of them and while they both might have passed it off as boredom, it felt decidedly nice once in a while to enjoy such simple boons.

The hero gave a small laugh and Zenos stared down at her. “Hmm?”

She shook her head against his chest. “Nothing. It’s just that I’ve never done this before. As the Warrior Of Light my time and presence is always required somewhere in this crazy world. I’ve never had much time for myself or the pursuit of a love affair. This is the first time I’ve woke in the same bed as someone or taken a bath. It’s just strange….but in a good way.”

Zenos took measure of her words. “Tis heartening to hear you acknowledge what I have made known from the beginning. There is no one for us but each other.”

She stretched her arms up and hooked them around his neck. “ I thought you were going to remedy your roughness?” She teased and just as his hands were working there way up her body her link pearl chimed. She touched her ear and answered it. “Yes?”

“Y/N! Oh how good it is to hear your voice!” it was Alphinaud.

“Alphinaud! How have you been?” She asked.

“As well as can be expected, how faired your expedition in Dalmasca?”

“As well as can be expected.” She laughed.

“Is Zenos still with you?”

“Yes.” She said as she felt hands slide up to her breasts. She bit her lip to keep from making any sounds and elbowed her partner in the ribs to warn him.

“….and he has not tried anything…?” He asked with just a hint of suspicion in his young voice.

“Tried and accomplished are two separate issues.” She remarked.

He seemed to breath a sigh of relief. “I and the other’s have returned to Ala Mhigo but I must tell you that Lord Hien as called us all back to Doma Castle. He says its of upmost importance and I’m sure he would want to see you again.”

“Did he mention what this very important thing may be?” She asked and Zenos took the liberty of pressing his lips to her already tender neck. She squirmed against him.

“It appears some Garlean Peacemakers have arrived and are offering succor to the kingdom as a show of goodwill.”

“…Peacemakers….Oh wait! That reminds me! While Zenos and I were travelling the steppe there seemed to be evidence of a new Garlean Weapon! Something by the name of Black Rose.” She mentioned.

“We found similar evidence not far from Castrum Oriens, some samples buried in the earth. We took them back to the castrum to be examined by the Order of Twin Adder and they found all evidence pointing to a biological agent.”

“Yes that’s what we saw as well.”

“Then we must needs keep out eye open for this Black Rose. It could be disastrous for the world should it ever be employed in battle.” The young Elezen surmised.

“Agreed.”

“Then in the meantime will you not join us in Doma? We shall be meeting there in a few days time assuming the winds are right and we can make passage without event.”

“Yes, of course. Let me know when you arrive and I will make my way there anon.” The hero agreed and the link ended.

“Called into action once more?” Zenos asked against her neck.

“We need to head to Doma Castle….”The hero started hesitantly. She had avoided going there in the first place due to her companion so how was she going to get around bringing Zenos to the very place he had conquered not so long ago and subsequently lost? Lord Hien would probably be amused by the notion of the Crowned Prince being chained to her side.

“So soon?” He purred into her ear.

“….not necessarily…..” She admitted and enjoyed the sensation of him being close to her.

“Then indulge me warrior, let us enjoy all this city has to offer us.”

“Are you asking me out?”

“Unless you’d rather stay in and do other things?” he grinned against her ear and slid his hand down between her thighs. She shuddered at the feeling and squirmed against him. “Whatever you wish is my command.”

Biting her lower lip she turned her head to look up at him. “I don’t think my body can do round two for another day or so….”

“Worry not my beast. I will be very _very_ gentle.” He purred into her ear.

************

The morning time brought life back to Kugane as shops opened, people went about their jobs and the streets filled with peddlers and marchants. With Tanabata concluded all was back to its normalacy and commerce once again became the center of attention for many a Kuganite.

With the sun high in the sky, the hero and Zenos made their way through town, sampling the foods and taking in the sites though Zenos regarded almost everything with tolerable indifference. Quite the opposite of the hero who thoroughly enjoyed eating and window shopping.

All the while the hero was distracted by her feminine wiles Zenos kept his eye on the sky, waiting patiently for the Garlean Airship to appear and planning how to coerce the hero to come with him back to his kingdom. She would put up a fight no doubt and no silver tongued words of his would convince her otherwise so he had to tread carefully.

It was hours later a shadow filled the sky and everyone in town stopped to gawk at the Imperial Airship hovering above them. With gasps and trepidation the townfolk murmured in wonder at why the imperials would ever deem to set foot there when the Sekiseigumi would surely not tolerate it. Even if Garlemald ran the region, Kugane was a freeport under a different set of rules and regulations and staunchly defended by the Samurai.

The hero followed the eyes of the crowd as the airship docked at the edge of town where the marina lay and then looked to her companion. Surely he hadn’t of contacted anyone since they were together all the time…or had he?

“Come Hero.” He commanded as he walked towards the ship, the back end opening to reveal a very young imperial in fancy white doman like clothing and a cropped bowl haircut walking down the plankway towards them. He was flanked by two other foot soldiers.

His young face lit up at the site of the Legatus and he bowed deeply to his liege as everyone gave them a wide birth and cleared the area. For those brave enough to stick around, they stared in wonder at the Royals and whispered amongst themselves their own speculations.

“Is that not the crowned Prince Zenos?”

“No way….why would he ever come here?”  
  


“That’s totally him and look! That’s the Warrior Of Light!”

“Why are they together? Wait wasn’t he taken prisoner by her and the Alliance in Ala Mhigo?”

“Shhhhh! Keep quiet he might hear you!”

The whispers subsided as the young imperial spoke, his soft calm voice complimenting his youthful appearance. “My Lord Zenos! It is harkening to see you alive and in good health! I have received your message and have come as commanded. This ship is ready for your retrieval.”

“Very good.” Zenos smirked at his men and then he turned to the hero. “Tis time then for us to face our crossroads. I fully intent to return to Garlemald and take back what is mine. Thus I offer to you the opportunity to come with me. As my intended bride.”

There was a audible gasp from everyone around them.

The hero gave him a quizzical look. “So you managed to contact your empire behind my back….I expected as much but…this?” She waved a hand at the airship. “Is this what you had planned from the start? To get me into a position where I would not deny you?”

“Tis the art of seduction is it not?” Zenos smiled past the long hair covering half of his face. “You are mine and mine alone. I wont stand to share you with the Alliance, the Domans or any other who might come between us. You have already surrendered yourself to me, all you need do is take the final step. Come with me back to Garlemald. Become my legal wife and companion. Cast of the shackles of the Alliance and Eorzea for within my kingdom you will find freedom and power as you have never known. All of it is yours for the taking.”

She clenched her hands at her sides to keep her cool, knowing eventually Zenos would pull a stunt like this but secretly hoping he would have reformed himself even if just a little. “You know what my answer is.”

"You don't belong amongst such mediocrity, your a entire being is wasted in Eorzea and only together will we both excel to become all that the gods intended us to. You know this is true, warrior. You feel it as keenly as I do that we cannot exist without the other."

"That may be true, but I am still the warrior of light. I can't just throw that aside to run away with you! Please dont make me do this!"

He grabbed her wrist roughly. "Plead all you like but I will not leave here alone!"

"Let go!" She hissed and struggled against him.

“I expected as much….thus I make a proposal to you. Fight me. Fight me like you never have in your life, give me the battle I long for and should you come out victorious, I will leave you and yours alone and retreat back to my kingdom without incident. Should I win however, you will surrender yourself to me completely as my bride to be and spend the rest of your days by my side.”

The hero gritted her teeth, feeling that ever familiar indignation and rage boiling under the surface once again. “Very well! I accept! But you made a big mistake in crossing me. Lover or no, I will _shatter_ you!”

Zenos sucked in a slow seductive breath as if your words were the sweetest aphrodisiac. “Oh I welcome it!”

***********

A vast empty field near the Dawn Throne outside the prying eyes of Kugane was their chosen venue and while the blue sky and soft wind over endless grasslands painted a peaceful atmosphere, their reason for being there was bound to be nothing short of bloody. That suited Sadu fine, the blue skinned leader of the Dotharl who reveled in such bloodshed as well as Magnai the more subdued Oronir who was to be this battle’s mediator.

With the two leaders of the steppe to watch over the outcome, there would no way for anyone to cheat under the careful gaze of those two. And so the hero suited herself up in her yellow monk’s uniform and strongest set of gauntlets she had in her armoire all the while casting nasty looks at her opponent across the field, who was being dressed in his old Legatus Armor by the Garleans whom came with the young blood named Asahi Sas Brutus.

The Young man was charming in a sickeningly fake way and though he wore a fake smile that seemed cordial enough, his eyes hid absolutely none of the animosity he shot towards the hero and she knew right away that he was perhaps fanatically in love with Zenos. Oh she knew he had his admirers and it came as no surprise that ardor was also shared by members of the male species towards her lover.

When they were both ready the squared off with each other as the Oronir announced the rules. “By command of our Khagaan, we shall oversee this battle for her hand in marriage. By her right she refuses the offer of the Crown Prince of Garlemald and thus shall exercise her magnificence in hand to hand combat. Should she fail to win against the Prince, she will be his by rights of his victory. Zenos Yae Galvus may use his sword and our Khagaan her fists, but no magic nor tricks or glamour shall be used to distract our combatants. If anyone breaks this commandment, they loose by default and shall suffer the wrath of our tribes.” Magnai raised his axe high. “You may proceed!’

With that, the hero raised her fists and prepared to meet every blow from the Legatus. “I had hoped that our time together would have meant something to you, but I should have expected this to end this way. Did you think that sleeping with me would change my mind somehow? That my resolve could be broken by a night in your bed? I told you that until you show my how your soul burns in battle, I will never accept you nor will I be defeated by you!”

He raised his sword to swipe at her. “I will be victorious for I will not go back to Garlemald empty handed. You are to be mine heart body and soul! I will not accept any other outcome or will gladly die trying!” His sword swiped down at lightning speed and she dodged, ready to counter with a swift kick to the kidneys which he equally dodged and struck again.

“You crave your battle so much you’d feign marriage with me to get it?!” She cursed and parried his blow off her gauntlet, sparks flying where metal met metal.

“I crave _you_ enough to die for it!” he growled and they exchanged a serious of lightning blows. They ran across the field, striking and dodging

The khans sat back and watched with rapture while their Khagaan displayed her might, matching every blow of the Legatus with her own, their battle like a bloody dance that was both beautiful and horrifying all at once.It was not long before the two combatants were criss crossed with cuts, bruises, dirt and other injuries as they both breathed heavy and continued on, neither one willing to yield to the other. But when masamune was knocked out of Zenos hands and a fist found his face, blood bursted from his nose and he staggered back, spitting it from his mouth.

“Stand down Zenos! I _will_ kill you!” The hero warned through her panting breaths.

“Never! I will not return without you!” He growled back and lunged at her with only his fists. A flying spin kick caught the side of his face and another one sent him flying up and over, landing hard on his back. Yet he refused to yield and stood up time and time again.

"Surrender!” the hero warned, her lungs burning from want of air and her muscles screaming at her for rest but she continued to beat him.

"Kill me if you so desire, let me taste your fury oh beautiful beast! Strike me again and again! Let me taste the sting of bitter defeat!"

"Damn you!!!!"

His fists in hers as they sought to drive each other down, like two wrestlers caught in the moment, a moment that couldn’t be broken so long as their wills couldn’t be broken. And so they were locked together in this never ending cycle of fighting, two diametrically opposing forces that somehow balanced each other out.

“You are a fool Zenos!!!” She growled and drove him to the ground, mounted his chest and reeled back her fist to end him. “Why are you doing this?! Why?!” and though his face was bloody and bruised, almost unrecognizable he smiled up at her with pleasure in his hazy blue eyes.

“Because…. I would…. gladly…. die for you….” He said in a gurgled voice as blood spilled from his lips.

Through her heavy breathing and adrenaline she stared down at those familiar blue eyes and it all made sense. It was twisted and unusual, but there was no mistaking what he had meant. Zenos, of all creatures, was well and truly in love with her and to him dying _for_ her or dying _by_ her were one in the same. The hero had never thought of it in that way before, she refused to understand it but now in the heat of battle, with her enemy between her legs and her first ready to send him into the next world, it all suddenly made complete sense.

“So….this is what’s in your soul…..this is it…this is what makes you burn....this obsession...this desire....” She huffed and lowered her fist, refusing to land the killing blow. Was it a victory for either of them? Or was it a draw? She didn’t care as she climbed off of him and backed up, wiping blood from her brow. Zenos staggered to his knees and looked at her bewildered.

"Are you giving up?" He asked almost hopefully.

Her long leg shot out and arc kicked up from the bottom of his chin, knocking him over and out. "No I'm sending you home to your daddy!" She cursed. "Wretched Pinceling! May the gods damn you to the seven hells!"

Asahi ran to his fallen Lord and checked his vitals to make sure he was still breathing. "We must needs bring him to the airship immediately! Help me carry him!” And with that the two foot soldiers lifted Zenos up under the arms and proceeded to drag him away. Asahi turned to the hero with nothing short of Venom in his eyes and voice. “Tis lucky that you showed mercy to him, or else I would never forgive you more so if you had truly became his wife. Filthy heathens…once he has recovered he will destroy all of you, and I will gladly be his instrument should he ask it of me.” With that he turned sharply on his white heels and marched away with his Lord.

The hero watched them enter the airship parked aways down the field and stared at her bloody fist. Something in her stomach knotted and she felt horrendously ill, it was not that she just overexerted herself but that she felt as if she lost something. Zenos, for all his downfalls and vexations, was the only one she had allowed to get close to her on a mental and physical level and now he was gone. Deep down she felt crushed that he forced her to do this but after having felt his passion both in lovemaking and fighting, her victory felt hollow. 

Tears began to slide down her cheeks as she stared at her hands and wondered if she had done the right thing. Why did it feel so wrong? And why was her heart hurting so badly over the loss of someone she could have at one point swore she hated?

***********

Zenos fought against the two men that held up him, having come round after they had taken to the skies. He pushed them roughly away from him and he whirled around in anger demanding to know where the warrior was.

“You would take me away from my beast!? Insolent whelps! Take me back to her at once!” He growled.

“Oh please your highness, can you not tame your lust for battle for two seconds?” Came a unfamiliar voice and he whirled around to see Asahi standing in the doorway, a cruel smile on his lips. “You will get your chance to see her again in due time.” The voice that came from the boys lips was not his own and belonged to someone far older afar more cunning.

“And you are?” Zenos glared at the newcomer who obviously was not Asahi though he wore the boys skin.

“You were supposed to die back at the Menagerie and your surviving has thrown a rather large kink into my machinations, now this must needs be remedied. Your body will be sufficient payment for the inconveniences you’ve caused me. I should thank the Warrior Of Light for weakening you down enough to make that possible though my hope was that someone you would manage to kill her.” With that Asahi smiled and the creature that dwelt in his skin seperated from its host leaving the body to fall lifelessly to the floor while Elidibus suddenly appeared before the prince. 

"What will you do to her?!" Zenos growled through clenched teeth and fought back but his body was too weak to do much.

"The Warrior Of Light must die and the Alliance must fall. You will be the one to do it. I find that only proper, considering your convoluted notions of love with her. Its a shame you lacked the strength to do it yourself but with your flesh I shall triumph where you failed. Farewell princeling, you will not be missed." Elidibus laughed and hit Zenos with a wave of dark power that knocked the man onto his knees. Before Zenos could do much else he felt his own soul being pushed out of his body and into the vast ether as Elidibus supplanted his own into the prince's flesh.


	10. The Ghimlyt Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I borrowed alot of dialogue from stormblood 4.3-4.5 in regards to the populares and a certain ascian grandpa making his grand entrance. Seems as though the hero has caught the eye of more than just Zenos is the Galvus family. Wink wink. Obviously im not getting into shadowbringers, this is a AU stormblood fic so SB is not going to happen in this timeline.

“Why the solemn face Khagaan?” Sadu asked the hero as she laid a hand on her shoulder. “As ever your strength was immeasurable and you displayed great power in your battle. I should think this victory would please you.”

The hero was still crying when the Dotharl approached her and in her heart a myriad of conflicting emotions. She was not happy, not in the slightest. She felt empty and alone. Hurt and disappointed. All because of a man she swore she hated and loathed but somehow, had come to know and understand. With that understanding came the realization that somewhere in her heart she wanted him too.

She shook her head at the idea. He was gone and if he did come back it would not be on friendly terms. Once he was back in Garlemald and back to his old ways, that old itch would strike him again. The need to conquer and kill and she would be at the butt end of it once more. Oh they would meet again alright, but as enemies, as before.

“I…..I thought that I _would_ be….”She admitted quietly and the Dotharl raised a brow.

“Then it was as I thought, there is a fine line betwixt love and hate. You care for the Warrior.”

“I guess I do.” The hero admitted sadly. “But its too late now.” She looked up at the horizon in the direction of Doma. “I have work to do.”

“He will not forget you, Khagaan. His soul burned magnificently for you as you fought and yours for him. Passion like that is not easily forgotten. Two warriors of that magnitude are destined for each other.” Sadu consoled her friend as she walked away.

************

“There she is!” Alphinaud happily exclaimed as the hero entered the Castle Proper and made her way towards Hien and the others gathered around him. Yugiri of course was at his side as well and their faces lit up when they saw the hero walk their way.

“Sorry to keep you all waiting.” The hero gave a small smile.

Alphinaud looked about the hero and asked. “Is the Prince not with you?”

She shook her head. “Garlemald came to collect him earlier.”

“And you let him go?” Alphy raised a brow to that idea. “Did they attack? Was this agreed upon by the Alliance?”

“I had no choice.” She shrugged, not wanting to talk about the incident.

“Then they attacked you? You have bruises all over your face and hands!” The Elezen exclaimed and reached for her. She backed away quickly without thinking.

“Its nothing. He is gone and that’s all there is to it. I can deal with him at another time. So why did you need to see me Hien?” She asked sternly. Ignoring the concerned looks that crossed everyones faces as they flicked eyes at each other and then to her.

“Perhaps…it should wait until later. Once you’ve had time to rest then we can reconvene at another time.” Hien suggested, always being the consummate gentlemen.

The hero was quick to interject. “I’d prefer to get down to business now if its all the same to you.”

Hien raised a brow but didn’t argue. “A few days ago we received a messege from Garlemald, from a group called the Populares who wish to provide aid to our newly liberated kingdom. While under normal circumstances I would dismiss the idea of inviting the Garlean’s back in after we have just so recently kicked them out. The populares seem to hold a rather interesting philosophy that puts them at odds with the crown. They claim to represent the masses and wish to foster good will between the two countries and thus will send a representative to survey our kingdom as well as perform a prisoner exchange. As you can imagine though, having any imperials within our walls makes me rather nervous and thus I would like you to stand in and mediate between our two sides.”

“I understand and would be glad to do it.” The hero agreed.

“Good! The imperials are set to arrive tomorrow morning so until then let us rest inside. Yugiri will see you to a guest room and provide anything you may need.” Hien smiled and ushered them into the compound.

When the hero was settled into her space a soft knock came at her door and Yugiri entered with a tray of foods and drink. “I thought mayhaps you would be hungry and brought you some food.”

“That’s kind of you Yugiri, thank you.” The hero smiled from her spot on the tatami floor. Yugiri set the tray down on the small table before them and sat on her knees.

“Alphinaud explained the situation with Zenos to me and it was my understanding that he would be coming with you for this endeavor but it would seem that is not to happen. It may be unkind of me to say this but its for the best. Just the site of him brings back horrendous memories for our people. Even if he is a prisoner, he very presence would be upsetting.” She explained calmly.

“I know that.” The hero said sadly, staring at the floor mindlessly.

There was a moment of silence and Yugiri thought of a way to address the elephant in the room. “Did something happen between the two of you while he was in your custody?”

The hero sighed. “Do you want me to be totally honest or do you want me to give you a convenient lie?”

“The truth of course, no matter how hard it would be to hear it or understand it.”

“When Zenos came to me, I thought there would be nothing to it, he needed constant supervision and I was the only one with enough gumption to do it. There was no feelings behind it, the alliance just needed someone to babysit him. But the truth is, there has always been a strange attraction between the two of us, even when we were fighting in Doma it was there. Having time to be with him and be close to him was unsettling at first but it was actually enjoyable, unusual and sometimes stressful but enjoyable. He is a brute, there is no doubt about that, but there’s more to it than that. Its not so simple for me to hate him.”

Yugiri bit her lower lip and her brow knit in concern as you went on. “Then suddenly today he sprang the idea of us running away to Garlemald together, getting married and me becoming his companion. Imagine that, me the empress of Garlemald. Its so ridiculous its laughable…but I want to say _yes_. I really truly wanted to say yes.”

There was another long silence between the hero and the shinobi before Yugiri spoke again. “You care for the man…..I admit I don’t understand how one could fall in love with the enemy….he has done too much to us, hurt us in so many ways. Had I but known this anguish laid in your heart, this loneliness then mayhap my Lord Hien…”

“No…” the hero interrupted her. “I know Hien is attracted to me but lets be honest. If I accepted his affections then what would he expect of me? To become queen of Doma and settle down? Have children? It’s the same with Aymeric, it’s the same with every man I have ever known. Yes having the warrior of light as a wife would be a great prospect but would any of them nurture my spirit as a warrior? Would any of them allow me to continue to fight? Or would they expect me to live in the Alliance’s guilded cage only setting me free when its convenient for them or they need something dead?”

Yugiri did not know how to answer that and finally after a moment she stood up and bowed. “Be well Warrior Of Light. We care for you more than you could know.” And with that she left.

When the sun had risen, the hero had her breakfast and redressed herself to prepare for the imperial entourage that would arrive at any moment. They reconvened outside the doman enclave and watched the imperial ship dock over head, its back end opening up as Asahi Sas Brutus and two other unknown soldiers exited and headed towards them in procession.

The hero scrutinized the faces of the group and with a quizzical look she watched Asahi stop in front of them and bow. “We are ever so grateful to be received by Prince Hien of Doma and his people. I am Asahi Sas Brutus, brother of Yotsuyu whom you have in your custody and spokeman for the Populares.”

“You are welcome in Doma.” Hien said cordially and bowed back. Asahi turned to the hero and with his familiar sickeningly fake ass smile he bowed to her.

“And you must be (y/n) the Warrior Of Light, the Savior Of Eorzea.”

The hero scrunched her brow. “You knew that already, did we not just meet yesterday morning?”

The young imperial gave her a funny look. “I beg your pardon? Surely I would remember if I had met you before, you are such a vaunted hero after all.”

“Surely you joke, You were the one to collect Zenos from my care.”

The young man gasped. “Lord Zenos? He is here? He is with you?”

“Don’t be smart with me, YOU were the one who came to pick him up only yesterday! You and two other soldiers after he summoned you to Kugane!”

There was ackward silence and everyone looked at each other in confusion as Asahi scratched his chin. “I regret to inform you that if someone came for our Lord, It certainly was not me.”

The hero put hands to her head in disbelief. “Oh…..my….gods…..”

“(y/n) ?” Alphinaud put a hand to her shoulder to calm her down. “Whats going on?”

“I handed Zenos over to an Ascian!!!!” She screamed.

**************

The imperial court was as opulent as one could imagine. Solus zos Galvus have a rather sophisticated penchant for architecture and finery spared no expense in building the place. With black laquer walls, gold filigree edging, a throne that would make the Allagan Empire blush and high towering spires, Varis stood silently by his throne in his equally garnished imperial armor.

His back was to his recently returned son, in body only. He had expected Zenos to be dead and would have preferred it that way had Elidibus not gone out of his way to rectify the situation. Now the Ascian paraded himself around in his progenies skin and had all the young Princes might at his disposal. Varis was not impressed if not downright pissed at the recent developments and so he kept his back to his “son” refusing to look the thing in the eyes.

“The Populares no longer pose a threat. Now is the time to bring the Empire’s might to bear. A word from your Radiance is all that it takes.” Zenos explained. But one word and the imperial army will fall upon Ala Mhigo as a pack of bloodthirsty wolves and tear that feeble nation apart.”

Varis remained steadfast and silence, refusing the acknowledge the Ascian in his son’s skin.

“Have you no words for me?” Zenos asked. “Despite the lengths I go to, an emissary, playing the part of a fool? When first I took this face I swore to use all of my knowledge, all of my power, to further the cause of the Empire. My deeds stand testament to my commitment. And with his adamant flesh at my disposal, I will destroy the Eikon Slayer as easily as one might swat a fly. Why do you hesitate?” He gave a long winded sigh. “Our enemy is resourceful. Though victory is certain now, it will not remain so indefinitely. Deliberate if you must but be quick about it. We will speak again when you have unburdened yourself of doubt. Until then I take my leave…father.” With that, Zenos turned on his heel and walked away leaving Varis alone….but not really.

Once Elidibus was out of earshot range, a rather enigmatic figure stepped out from behind the Garlean Throne. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his white dress gloves and flicked back his short black hair in exasperation. His dress was old, remnants of a bygone Garlean Era where Emperor’s dressed like fops and had the finest seamstresses and tailors at their disposal.

“I should be the one to sigh.” Solus complained as he stepped out of the shadows. “ I had played my part to perfection. I had earned my rest and then, thanks to Lahabrea’s crowning act of idiocy, our favorite emissary sees fit to summon me back. Elidibus was ever a worrier. A tiresome trait would you not agree?”

The sharply dressed former Emperor sauntered down the steps of the throne and sat himself down casually. “What? Have you no words for me either? No matter. I’ve long grown weary of this mummery. Now my dear grandson let me remind you of your place in the simplest of terms. You do not make judgements, you administer them. Swiftly and to the letter, naught else is your concern. Elidibus may be an insufferable bore but he is no fool. His choices as emissary seldom err.”

Varis frowned at his grandfather and kept his lips tightly sealed. He was fast loosing his patience for the Ascian’s grandstanding and philandering, having years to deal with it while the man was still alive. Solus as a dead man was not much better and a insufferably arrogant twat at that.

“Ah but maybe this isn’t about your long departed son but about the vaunted hero he was so enamored with?” Solus dared to pry into that subject. “He was in her tender loving care until recently. Dare I say he even grew rather close with her. Rather amusing that the boy found someone to be enamored with other than bloodshed. Tis a shame Elidibus showed his hand so early in the game or it may have been possible to sway her over to our side.” He pouted and rested his chin in his hand. “Although if I were so inclined I could probably woo the strumpet myself. Elidibus plans to do away with the poor girl but she would oh so much more useful alive than dead if things could be manipulated in just the right way…”

Varis remained silent as Solus stood up and waltzed about the room. “Perhaps it is not too late, though Elidibus plans to illuminate her there may still be time to pull a few strings here and there….Ah yes, that should do it. We should not be so quick to throw away a viable pawn. Oh do stop sulking boy, you of all people should understand. Our goals are one in the same.”

************

A few days later:

“How could I have been so blind? Of course Zenos was supposed to die in the menagerie and by granting him mercy Elidibus lost his host body.” The hero cursed herself as she paced back and forth in the compound as Maxima, one of Asahi’s foot soldiers, Hien and Alphinaud watched on. “Now he has what he wants and is commanding Garlemald with the prince’s face!”

“That an imposter has infiltrated the innermost circle of the imperial court? The idea is inconceivable, absurd but worthy of investigation none the less.” Maxima said as he adjusted his glasses. Our movement can ill afford to have a highly placed pretender undermining our efforts.”

“I need to go to Garlemald.” The hero said resolutely.

“Have you lost your mind?” Alphinaud gasped.

“Zenos was placed in my care and I just gave him over to the Ascians like food to the tigers! I wont let them use him like that!”

“I do not think you will have to wait too long to be reunited with your charge. Already there is rumors of imperial movement at the Ghimlyt Dark and I would hazard a guess that Zenos himself will make an appearance should the situation require it. If you are there then surely he will be as well.” Hien reasoned.

“Use myself as bait to lure back his body then….but that does us no good. If Zenos…the real one that is. We have no way of knowing where the heck his soul is or if it even survived!”

“This is true, but its better than walking into the maw of the beast. Let that beast come to you instead. Tis better to defeat Elidibus now than let him parade around in the prince’s body.”

*********

When Zenos became conscious of his situation, he was not but a soul adrift the endless aether, a formless mass that flitted about the living hearing their words and watching their actions but having no means of interacting. It was an interesting feeling, to be bodiless and empty yet still aware of yourself and your surroundings.

It was days he drifted like this, from town to village, to city, to where ever the currents seemed to take him until familiar faces and voices made themselves known and he finally recognized where his soul had drifted.

Alliance soldiers ran to and fro, bringing weaponry and armaments to what appeared to be yet another battle front. The vast fortress they erected in the desert like wasteland signified Ala Mhigo but why the frantic movements and panic? Orders were shouted as the soldiers fortified the wooden ramparts and a few words caught the wandering souls attention.

“Negotiations with Varis have failed! We must be ready for anything the empire throws our way! You there bring those weapons to the front! Make sure there is enough to share between our men and the Alliance soldiers!” The man barked.

“I heard the Alliance is in a strategy meeting right now and the Warrior Of Light will be sent to help us. We cant loose! She will guide us to victory and send those imperial dogs packing!” Said another more enthusiastic young blood.

Zenos felt his senses perk up at the mention of his beast and he knew he had to find a way back into the physical world somehow. So he concentrated, feeling the aether to see if it would guide him to a way out of this mess. Using his resonance he pushed his soul through the flow of the mortal world and followed the prickling sense of death that only the warfront could bring.

A tent which served to house wounded or sick soldiers came into his view and his essence darted inside to appraise the hosts that laid inside. It would serve him not to pick one that was too damaged or one that was terminally ill, but one that perhaps had simply suffered a blow to the head or knocked out would certainly suffice. Lucky was it for him that such a soldier laid resting in a wooden chair in the corner of the tent, a loose bandage wrapping his head as he dozed softly.

Zenos seized the chance to push his soul into the man’s body, feeling the hot burn of neurons coming to life under his ministrations as the body accepted its new master and the flesh obeyed his commands. He stood up in this new vessel and pulled the bandages from his head, snatching the alliance uniforms hood and draping it over himself as he existed the tent and looked about the area.

There would be no need to go looking for his beast if she was to come there and so his next modus operandi was to procure himself a decent weapon and lay low until she deemed fit to appear. He would not have to wait for long as the sweet scent of flowers drifted into his nose and a familiar voice filled the air.

“Just give me the signal and I will move out. Whatever it is you wish me to do I will do.” The hero said to General Aldyn as they walked through the camp.

“We are grateful for your assistance as always. Our victory is assured with you fighting on our front lines.” The bull of Ala Mhigo stated.

“If Zenos shows up though, he is mine and mine alone. Do not let your soldiers engage him.” She warned.

“I know better than to come between the two of you but you need not blame yourself for what has happened. Zenos is a cunning man, he probably had everything planned our meticulously from the moment he was taken in as a prisoner. You’re a very patient and kind women to have done what you did for the likes of him. We have a few hours yet before our operation starts. Please use that time to rest and prepare.”Aldynn patted her shoulder as he went his own way leaving the hero alone in the middle of the camp.

Zenos made no attempt to hide himself, knowing the hero would not recognize him in this foreign flesh and while the urge to grab her and kiss her roughly was at the forefront of his mind, in this body it would not do. She deserved to see him and touch him at his best, when he was once again housed in his own flesh. For now he would have to be content to watch her from afar and await his chance to sieze back his own body from the Ascian that had so blatantly stolen it.

He lips curled up in a sneer. The many violent thoughts that crossed his mind at the thought of confronting the body thief made his blood boil and he would thoroughly enjoy dismembering that bastard when the time came. He would do it oh so slowly and savor the screams of his enemy as if it were the sweetest music to his ears and then he would claim his warrior once more.

She seemed sad and despondant as she made her way to the armory station and began dressing her first with white linen wrap before putting her gauntlets on. She squeezed her firsts open and close a few times to test its durability and then sighed and dropped her hand to her side. She looked up at the darkening horizon and said in a quiet voice. “Zenos….where in the 7 hells _are_ you? Come back to me.”

His heart skipped a beat at hearing his name from her lips. How utterly sweet and sinful that his beast was missing him.

************

The sound of guns, canons and screams filled the night air as the imperial forced pushed back against the Alliance and the Ghimlyt Dark was turned into a blood soaked war zone. The alliance had done well with the Warrior Of Light leading the way and through her they were able to drive back and defeat the most staunch stalwarts, her fists destroying any and all who stood before her and by her side, her most trusted friends and supporters. She left the battlefield littered with the bodies of her foes while Zenos hid in the shadows, watching her every move and admiring her handiwork.

Now she stood with General Aldynn under his tent, looking over maps and stratagems as they discussed their next course of action when a foot soldier approached them with further news. “Commander! The Imperials! They’ve broken through our defenses to the east! Our scouts say that their forces are being led by Lord Zenos! Lord Hien and Commander Hext have taken their troops to provide support but we don’t know how long they can hold out!”

The hero raised her hand. “Say no more. I owe that bastard a punch or two so let me handle this.”

“Much obliged. Given the choice I’d take you over a 100 soldiers.” The General nodded as the hero took flight from the base camp.

Her feet carried her swiftly across the terrain of the Dark, passing allies and fallen foes as they watched her rush by, knowing full well where her destination lie and cheering her on the entire way. With the fires of broken machina and magiteck behind her she saw the bodies of Lyse, Hien and Yugiri strewn across the ground with none other than her prey goading over them. She skidded to a halt a few feet from him to shield Hien from any harm and put her hands up to defend herself.

Zenos took measure of her and said through his mask. “Ah, Bringer Of Light. It has been too long.”

Her brow furrowed as she examined the creature in front of her, the body being that of her lover but the soul obviously of someone else. She did not have to think twice on who was piloting it. There was only one other Ascian she knew of who would so readily use another man’s face for his own gain.

“No words to mark our reunion? So be it.” He sighed. “Equilibrium must be restored and only your death will redress the balance.”

“I have words. Just not for body snatchers like you Elidibus.” She sneered.

“Oh? What a shame you found me out so early on. It would have been fun to torture you a bit with the body and face of your lover.” He said back calmly.

“You Ascians are overfond of your own voices!” She growled and launched herself at him.

Her fists and his sword collided with a shockwave of power and then again with her knee, her foot and her other fist. Of course with the body of Zenos he would be able to match her power and more. He countered her blows with his own, each strike hitting her with a force that could snap bones and yet she held out, dodging and parrying him, trying to weaken him just so slightly that she could sneak in a solid hit.

When her fist struck him as hard as she could muster, she gasped at the metal of her gauntlet shattering under the force and when his telekinetic shockwave of power hit her she had not to defend herself with but her bare arms. It struck her hard, pushing her back a few yalms as she rebalanced herself and prepared to attack again. She knew he would be difficult with an Ascian at the helm, but even for her this was excessive.

So she gave it her all, her good fist glowing red with aether as she swung up and twirled herself into a uppercut, catching the legatus under the chin and sending him flying up and over. A blow that surely snapped his neck and would have ended his life, had he been mortal.

The body of Zenos lay in the dirt for a moment before dark aether gathered into it and the Ascian reanimated itself.

“Your mother chose her champion well, yet for all your strength you will still fail.” He said and swiped up his sword, sending a wave of blue energy crashing into her. She parried it with her hand and drove forward, intending to decapitate him with a final blow to his already damaged helmet. He knew she was coming and a blast of red energy sent her flying back again. It hurt and her head spun for a moment, giving him the opportunity he needed to swipe down at her, catching her shoulder with his blade, shattering her shoulder pauldron and striking her hard and deep.

She screamed as she rolled to the side and placed a hand over the wound to staunch the blood pouring out from it. With only one hand to fight with she no longer had the advantage and she certainly couldn’t kick him to death. He knew that all too well and came back for the killing blow when a foot soldier caught his blade in his own.

“Leaving such a mark on my beast, have you no shame Ascian?” The soldier sneered through his cowl and threw the Legatus off of his warrior. With himself between the Legatus and the hero she looked up at the solider and scrutinized him.

“The hell are you doing?!” She cursed at the unknown Alliance soldier. “Pull back, that’s an order!”

“Was I ever one to obey your rules, my enemy, my friend?” he smirked at her over his shoulder.

“Zenos!?”

“Your soul survived the aether…..” Elidibus said with palpable disappointment.

“Twas fortuitous that my soul found itself in Ala Mhigo so close to my warrior. I am rather fond of that body and will be taking it back.” The real Zenos said.

“In the body of a foot soldier? That’s a rather amusing prospect.” Elidibus stated and raised his sword to cleave the other man in two. The soldier was ready to take the blow but a new voice rang out of nowhere.

“ _Now now Elidibus, don’t be so hasty. Even if she is the child of Hydaelyn, she is not without her charms. Why not shower some hospitality and bring her to me?”_ Said the bodyless voice.

“Architect, don’t interfere.” Elidibus spoke back to the voice.

“ _You are too quick to expend a valuable pawn_.”

“What are you scheming?”

“ _Oh you know me, with oh so much time on my hands for scheming up all manner of machinations and chaos but let me put it another way, if you wish for my further assistance in your endeavors, I will ask you give her to me in the meantime_.”

Elidibus didn’t argue and looked at the warrior of light, who was on her knees and still nursing a near mortal blow. He ignored the real Zenos and marched up to the hero who tried to back away, caught her by the waist and in a puff of black aether, disappeared into his own vortex.

Zenos growled at their quick departure, cursing himself that the body he had taken did not have the capacity to fight his foe the way he wanted. He would have to sample more bodies before finding one that could match the Legatus.

Surmising that their destination was Garlemald, he ignored the felled friends and fiends around him and ran towards the camp where he might procure some other methods of transportation. Garlemald was a worlds away from Ala Mhigo and there was much time for the hero’s mysterious kidnapper to do all manner of nasty things to her in the meantime. He would get back there somehow and free his beast from the chains of her captors and together they would destroy the Ascian who dared to take both his body and his warrior.

"My enemy...my friend...Had I been but a step faster." He cursed himself under his breath.

Behind him a imperial centurion approached and drew his sword running towards the Alliance soldier. "Bloody Savages!" He rose his sword to strike down the man but Zenos sensed it coming malms away and quickly got in the first strike, cutting the black centurion down in one swoop. Be it friend of foe, he was in no mood to be bothered.

"A pity your hunt takes you else where....not that I'm surprised. May you find joy in it. Grow stronger and more savage, savor every triumph....wait for me patiently. I will be by your side soon to reclaim what is mine." He said as he looked at a Garlean standard gently swaying in the breeze.


	11. Trapped In Garlemald

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone thanks for the wait! The next chapter is finally up! The story is reaching its conclusion so hold on for a wild ride. We have maybe 2 more chapters after this and thats that.
> 
> The hero lands herself in the middle of Garlemald and in the middle of a certain Ascian's Lap (wink wink)

“Well well…what do we have hear?” Solus purred as he entered the imperial bedroom where the hero’s body was dumped by Elidibus. Not caring about her personal welfare after having warped the both of them to Garlemald, the Legatus tossed her unconscious body onto the large king sized bed and left without so much as a grumble. Whatever his comrade had in mind, he was in no mood to stay and watch.

Solus approached the bed and looked down at the disheveled and injured warrior and put a hand to his chin thoughtfully. “You are looking no worse for wear….but this will never do, we can not have our honored guest looking so defiled.” He snapped his fingers and her body instantly re arranged itself on the bed so she was lying peacefully on her back, her arms to her sides. Another snap and her clothes changed from her monk’s attire to a long black gown that showed an over abundance of skin. Her hair wound itself up into tight curls and rested on the pillow beside her as if she had fallen asleep during a dinner party and was merely catching up on beauty sleep. The wound on her shoulder was instantly healed and all that remained was a faint scar where Zeno’s sword had struck her.

“That is ever so much better.” Solus congratulated himself and leered down every inch of her body. “You’ve been quite the thorn in our side, hero. But I would expect no less of someone who houses the soul of one so….rambunctious.” He slid his gloved finger tips up her thigh and across her stomach suggestively. “Watching you is always so entertaining and to think you tamed that monstrous Great Grandchild of mine. Of course it had to be _you_.”

Her brow furrowed and she made a small noise as she slowly came back to consciousness. His hand continued its dance up her chest and to grazed the Allagan collar that decorated her neck, then her cheek where he petted it gently. “There there, take it easy. Elidibus was rather rough with you. I’m sure your mind and body are still well tired from your battle.”

Slowly her eyes opened and for a moment she stared at the ceiling, trying to focus, to remember what happened and when her eyes flicked down at the strange Garlean man at hovering over her, her eyes widened but she kept silent.

“Did you rest well Bringer Of Light?” He asked with a smile, his yellow eyes half lidded and hazy but somehow very intense as they looked into hers.

“Where am I and who are you?” She gasped as she jolted up and rolled away from him to the far side of the bed where she quickly examined what she was wearing and the collar. She grabbed it with her hands and tried to pry it off, knowing full well what it was since she had one on Zenos not too long ago.

“You already know what that is and that you have no chance of removing it. My apologies, some precautions had to be taken considering the damage you are capable of but you need not worry. You are a much welcomed guest here in Garlemald.” Solus tucked his hands behind his back to show his sincerity.

“Garlemald?” She looked about the room and noted its definitive Garlean Architecture, then jumped off the bed and ran to the nearest window, seeing the ashen snow that fell on the black hewn streets below. “But then….Zenos…” She turned back to the man who was now laying sideways on her bed, his head resting on the palm of his hand in the most casual way possible.

“Oh that brat is out there in the world somewhere to be sure. Elidibus didn’t kill him. I imagine by now he is on his way here assuming no ill force befalls him before the fact.” Solus gave a sly smile and his hands danced across the white bed spread suggestively. “Until then you are at my mercy…however shall we pass the time?”

“Who _are_ you?” The hero asked in a tone that was more annoyed than anything else. Who was this man to act so suave with her.

“Oh! Where are my manners!” he exclaimed and jumped up from the bed to wear she was, took her hand in his and kissed it while bowing. “I am the Patriarch of Garlemald, Solus Zos Galvus. At your service.”

“Patriarch…..how is that possible when the real Solus died not too long ago?”

Solus squeezed her hand tight and grinned at her. “Do you really need to ask?” An Ascian Glyph glowed across his face as the hero gasped and tried to pull her hand away.

“You need not fear me, hero. Unlike Elidibus I see you as having some inherent value to our cause and see no reason to wipe you off the playing board just yet but that depends on how much you can relief my boredom. So do be a good girl and be on your best behavior. I have a feeling we will get along _splendidly_.”

**********

Hallow footsteps echoed off of black cobblestones, ashen snow fell around the main city and with every breath Gauis Van Baelsar took a plume of white condensation released from his nostrils. Garlemald was always so cold, being so far up north on its own continent, its magiteck altering the natural sky so it was as if an endless city of night. The Garleans, whose lack of magic denied them the many useful attributes, turned to technology and body enhancements to get through the endless winters. So for the former Legatus, seeing through the hazy fog of winter was as nothing to him, much less the cold.

Even Estinien, whom leaned casually against the nearest lamp post on the street, was bothered not by the chill, having been raised in Ishgard, the coldest placed one could imagine in Eorzea.

Gaius stopped just short of the Dragoon, keeping his back to him the way one might to a passerby as to not draw attention to themselves and the information he was about to share with his partner in crime.

“What did the scouts have to report?” Estinien asked.

“It would seem the vaunted hero of Eorzea has gone missing from the battlefield. While the quirmishes on both sides have died down, she was last reported fighting Zenos in the Ghimlyt Dark.” Gaius reported.

“She would not dare to run from a battle.”

“No she wouldn’t. Which can only mean she is here in Garlemald, having been taken prisoner by the Ascian who wears his skin.”

“The palace then.”

“More than likely.” The black wolf nodded.

“Hmmmm. I do hope she can hold out a bit more.” Estinien hummed to himself.

“I must wonder if his Radiance knows of this development.”

“Alas we must deal with Black Rose first before we establish rescuing our friend.” Estinien said darkly. “All the more reason to hasten our search. How close are your people to identifying our next target?”

Gaius shrugged. “Close enough though I have received some troubling intelligence. One of our generals posted to the Ala Mhigan front recently disappeared without a trace from the battlefield of the Ghimlyt Dark.”

“Odd.” Estinien agreed. “Dead seems unlikely. Fled less so. I wonder where he’ll turn up.”

“Were I a betting man I would say here in the capital. Not that any deserter who valued his life would ever contemplate returning. But a corpse might given the right encouragement.”

“In the manner of his royal remains you mean.” Estinien corrected.

“Elidibus plainly has no need of a new host so the question becomes who? It may be that another player has joined the game.” Gaius said crytically. “While Elidibus has the warrior of light, he will be too preoccupied for much else. I’m sure she will keep the palace busy. We should use this opportunity to our advantage.” The two of them walked off together into the night.

Zenos, in the body of the Garlean centurion watched the two men walk away and looked up into the dark sky of his former homeland. “These bloodless games make for poor sport….Mayhap is father…nay, I am a stranger to him in this body. Besides, there is but one hand that can make me whole again. My enemy, my friend….my beast…” His head turned to the direction of the palace. “I know not what entertainment occupies you but if you can not clear the way for me then I will seize the reigns of fate once more.”

**************

Solus sat at the opposite end of the large dining table as a servant poured his flute full of champagne and then did the same for the hero. She watched him carefully cut into the steak on his plate and delicately eat it the way any royal with manners and etiquette would. His pink tongue licked his fully lips intentionally as she watched him like a hawk.

He was slick and sweet, charming and sleezy, the kind of man who could seduce his way through anything and anyone. He was tall, handsome, educated, well spoken, clever and a whole bunch of other things that would make a girls head spin….but he was also conniving and manipulative, much the same as Zenos but in a very different way. Zenos only tried to manipulate things to get closer to her, this man could manipulate entire countries and their rulers as pawns on his proverbial chess board and throw the world into unimaginable terror simply because he could.

“Will you not try the food? I guarantee you its delicious, the finest Garlemald has to offer.” He smiled and rested his hand in his chin to watch the hero in such a way she wanted to hide under the damned table to escape his yellow eyes.

“I don’t understand any of this.” She said flatly. “Why the charade? Am I not your enemy?”

“Indeed you are but you are also a valuable asset. “He answered candidly. “While you serve Hydaelyn and trounce about the world doing deeds in her favor, you have also served Garlemald quite nicely buy destroying the Eikons. As such you being the child of light is rather inconsequential, you can serve both the light and the dark despite your mother. I think mayhaps we can come to an understanding, a truce of some sort. After all, my Great Grandson is overly fond of you and I suspect at any time we can expect his return and frankly you are the only one who may have a chance at controlling him. I could wipe him from the board so to speak, it would be terribly easy to eliminate my own blood line but I am a bit of a sentimentalist for my own family. Despite the lost cause Varis and his son may be, they are still useful.”

“So you want me to control Zenos while you control all of us behind the scenes.” She surmised. “A rather interesting family enterprise….”

“Oh you have no idea my dear.” Solus laughed.

“So I give up the shackles of the Alliance for the gilded cage of Garlemald.”

“Ah but look around you, look at this opulence. You would not want for anything here and you would have your precious Prince at your side.”

“I don’t think so.” The hero sneered and slapped the glass of wine in front of her, letting is crash to the floor in protest. “When Zenos returns he is going to kill the lot of you, and I’m going to enjoy watching him do it.” Something dark and dangerous flitted across her face, a look that was new and very dangerous and oh so enticing.

Solus moaned out loud at her tenacity. “That! _That_ is the look of an Empress! Such fury and indignation! My dear, you already have it in you! The makings of a cruel and just queen! How swiftly you would destroy your enemies should they cross you. You the Warrior Of Light, unparalleled in strength and beauty, the instrument of divine destruction at the helm of Garlemald! Now I see what Zenos finds so charming in you, that defiant look in your eye.”

He was suddenly standing directly in front of her, grabbing her chin in his hand and bending down uncomfortably close to her face. “Keep that fire, fair hero. It is very alluring. But I can’t have you starving to death under my care.” He picked up her fork, speared a piece of steak and brought it to her lips. She kept her mouth firmly set in a thin line and unblinkingly stared back into his eyes.

He smirked at her defiance and rubbed his thumb over the pad of her lower lip. He had seen that look once oh so long ago, in another age, another world but before he could contemplate it much further her teeth clamped down on his thumb and he yelped.

“Zodiark’s mercy woman, did you seriously just bite me?!” He gasped.

************

“What are we to do?!” Lyse cried out as she rubbed her temples with her hands. “We can’t just leave our friend to the Empire’s mercy!” It had been hours since they Hien, Lyse and the Alliance returned to the main camp with General Aldyn after their friends hasty kidnapping. They had all seen what had happened and knew all to well where the hero now was.

“We have no way of going after her!” Alphinaud argued back, just as upset as Lyse was at the entire affair. “We’ve not the kind of vehicle that can withstand the length of the trip nor get us there in any reasonable amount of time. Our best hope is that our friend can handle herself and fight her way out of Elidibus’s grasp.”

“That’s not good enough!” Lyse shouted and punched the wall closest to her. It cratered under her fist.

Hien put a hand to her shoulder to calm the blonde’s rather fiery temper. “Alphinaud had the right of it, we really don’t have any other options at our disposal. Should we secure a way to Garlemald now we’d not make it in time to make any notable difference.”

“Not all hope is lost.” Aymeric announced as he entered the planning tent where everyone had gathered. “I have a contact within Garlemald who may be able to aid her.”

“Who?” Lyse asked.

“A certain….old friend.” Aymeric smiled cryptically. “He has been notified of the situation and will do what he can to help her provided it doesn’t interfere too much with his own mission. In the meantime we can’t just trample into Garlemald to save her without suffering severe repercussions on a political scale, we must needs come up with a viable plan should we wish to do anything for her on our end. On that note, I do think there is someone who can help us with our issue of transportation. Who better to ask then someone who knows the territory like the back of their hand and has the means of creating something we might travel in? I think we should call on Cid and ask for his assessment.”

“No need.” Came a voice from behind everyone as Cid marched up to them with Maxima at his side. “Maxima already appraised me of the situation and I think I may have a remedy for it. The imperial cruiser the populares came in might prove to me useful, if a few adjustments are made and certain imperial codes are followed. We might be able to sneak right in.”

“What are we waiting for then? We cannot let our friend hog all the fun.” General Aldynn shrugged and smiled at the notion of ruffling some imperial feathers.

****************

“What is the meaning of this!?” Varis growled through gritted teeth the moment he returned to his Imprial Throne only to find the Ascian Emet Selch, ever in the guise of Solus Zos Galvus sitting gealically on it with the hero uncomfortably on his lap. She may as well have been sitting on a Cactuar by the look on her face as the smarmy Ascian wrapped his hands around her waist and snuggled himself up against her like a giant cat. She groaned under her breath in distress but tolerated his affections and Varis immediately took note of the collar around her neck.

“I’ve caught myself the most interesting mouse. Warrior Of Light, my Grandson Varis.” Solus smiled and laid his chin on her shoulder as he watched his grandson with delight, knowing only too well the scolding he would receive for his “prize”.

“Trust me I’m as confused as you are.” The hero said flatly.

“Have you lost your Ascian mind?! You bring her here you bring the Alliance as well! They now have a viable reason to wage war if not all out invasion on us!” Varis stated.

“Which is why Black Rose exists does it not?” Solus stated back with a unamused face. “Really now you’ve been contemplating the idea of it for far too long. Regardless of mine and Elidibus’s prodding you have staunchly refused to use it despite our direct orders. Well now the cards have been dealt, you either employ it or you suffer the loss of the conquered. How much do you wish to keep your kingdom oh wise emperor?”

The hero’s heart jumped in her throat. Black Rose, that disgusting agent her and Zenos had seen on the Steppe would spell immediate death to any and all who breathed its fumes. If used on Eorzea it spelt instant victory for the Empire but at a terrible cost of life for everyone on the other side of the proverbial fence. She could not let it be used if she had a chance to stop it.

“Varis no!” She cried out and struggled against the Ascian who held her tight against him as if she were nothing but a small defenseless animal. “It’s not worth the loss of life! Sure you conquer Eorzea and then what will you be remembered as? A cold blooded killer who only one by using a cowards weapon! There is no honor in such a thing!”

Varis knit his brow at her words but Solus wasn’t about to have his mouse causing such an uproar in the court. He a hand over her mouth to silence her and chided her to be quiet. “Hush now, my dear we can’t have you spouting such drivel at a time like this.” And then her turned his attention back to Varis. “Eorzea has no defender now that their deadliest weapon is in our hands. You have no further reason to dilly dally on the matter.”

“You will not dare to tell me when and how to employ such things!” Varis barked back. “You have long since departed Emperor and no longer have any meaning in this kingdom. Go crawl back into the whole you ascian’s came from.”

“Touched a nerve?” Solus cooed and then he stood up with the struggling hero in his arms, scooping her up into a bridal hold. “Oh well, its bound to happen sooner or later, once the Alliance has your back up against the wall as always. Your penchant for waiting until the last moment for such things will be your undoing but It would seem my mouse is in grumpy spirits and I must needs put her to bed early.”

“Let go of me! Damn you!” The hero growled and kicked, trying anything to get the man to either drop her but when that didn’t work she turned back to Varis, trying to see him over Solus shoulder as he walked her down the red carpet. “Zenos is still alive! You need to find him! He can help!”

“What will you do with her in the meantime?” He asked in regards to the hero.

“Who knows? She is quite savage but not without her charms. Perhaps I might take her as my next bride and form another empire somewhere on this earth? Hmmm?” Solus teased.

Varis gave her a bewildered look as the disappeared through the double doors and he pondered what she meant. Of course his child has survived the Menagerie, this much was already known and that he had been in her custody up until such a time, what had happened between then and now he could only guess. Surely though, if she was here that meant he could not be far behind. The wheels in his Radiance’s head started turning and he though on how he might get this otherwise stalwart situation to move in his favor.

Solus hummed cheerfully to himself as he waltzed down the corridor with the hero still struggling in his arms to her bed chamber where Elidibus was awaiting him with his normal flat, unamused face. He stood outside the door knowing they would be coming that way.

“I had thought it odd that you fancied the Warrior but now I see what’s been going through your head the entire time. You will use her to force Varis’s hands where our words could not sway him.” Elidibus said as Emet Selch dumped the warrior back onto the bed and quickly closed the doors behind him, locking it with a large key that he slipped back into his pocket. Her fists hit the door and rattled it as a plethora of obscenities and threats came from the other side.

“Indeed that grandson of mine is slow on the uptake, I thought this might give him the final push he needs. It would be a pain to wrestle the controls of Garlemald back into my hands when I so painstakingly made sure the empire knew I was dead and gone. He lacks the commitment and cruelty Garleans are known for.” Solus sighed in disappointment.

“What you were known for.” Elidibus corrected.

“Ah but old vices die hard, there is one such other thing I was rather infamous for in my halcyon days.”

Elidibus gazed at the door and sneered at the notion. “You and your great grandchild share a common characteristic for desiring that which could destroy you. You asked her of me as a personal favor to you, though it would be more simple and less distracting to have her executed, do keep your ardor under control and her in her guilded cage.” He turned and walked back down the corridor until he was out of sight.

“It wouldn’t hurt for you to indulge yourself once in a while Elidibus, might take that chip off your shoulder and stick from your arse….” Emet smirked and sauntered down the red carpeted hall.

************

The hero had hit the large ornate door dozens of times only to leave her knuckles bruised and not a dent to the edifice itself. With the collar on, she was no stronger than the average hyuran female and even with her skills as a pugilist, without the might hydaelyns blessing granted her she was only hurting herself trying to escape.

She paced about the room, searching ever wall high and low, under the bed and around the window for anything that she might use as a weapon or some means to escape but Emet Selch had been very thorough in choosing her dwellings and other than a bed there was absolutely nothing in it save for overly decorative wall paper and carpeting. Finally, She growled at herself in frustration and collapsed onto her knees, her dress not allowing her to do much else wracked her mind for any ideas or epiphanies.

Minutes must have passed as she sat on the floor, eyes closed and trying to keep her wits about her when the door rattled and opened. She snapped her head in its direction as Varis walked in, the ever stern and grumpy expression stuck permanently to his face never faltered for a moment. He regarded for silently and seemed to be at a loss for what to say.

“It was never my intention to have you kidnapped and brought to Garlemald, just so you know.” He started. “That you are here now, under other circumstances would be a boon for the Empire but as it stands, your presence here will only cause further problems. I am sure we are being watched by them even as I say this to you….” His eyes darted to and fro. “So I may only get one chance to rectify this mistake but I will need your help. Its not an easy thing to realize your Patriarch is one of _them_.”

She scrutinized him and realized that Varis had been putting on an act to keep the Ascian’s at bay. While they tried to manipulate him and the direction Garlemald was going in, he was actively trying to defy them and was fast running out of options. They would not take his hesitating long before simply seizing things and making good use of Black Rose themselves. If anyone had a shot at taking out an Ascian it would be either her or Zenos and while she prayed he would find her, it seemed unlikely at this point.

Before she could say anything back he went on. “I know where the key is to take that off but if I help you….will you aid me in disposing of them? I wont allow the empire to be played like dogs for the Ascian’s amusements regardless of who my grandfather may be. Trust me, I ask this not in jest, hero of Eorzea and tis a hard thing to admit all of this to you notwithstanding. ”

“You were never planning on using Black Rose were you?” She asked.

“It only went into production at the behest of Emet Selch, the Ascian who’s been overly familiar with you. I’ve been trying to delay it as much as possible but im sure he’s aware of what im doing. So again I ask, will you help me?”

The hero needed no prompting and gave one resolute nod. Varis motioned for her to follow him. “I doubt we have much time, let’s make haste.” And they were both out the door and marching down the hall. She followed silently, letting the big Garlean take the lead, turning corners and walking down stairs.

She had no idea where they were heading nor did she care to dwell on it placing all of her faith in Varis and his small confessional earlier. “If for some reason this doesn’t work out and I get killed, you need to find your son. Aside from me he’s the only other one who might be able to get rid of your residential Ascians.”

“So he yet lives….” Varis said in a flat tone, neither happy nor sad to hear the news. “I had heard he was your prisoner for a time.”

The hero gave a small nervous laugh. “Yeah something like that….actually he proposed to me.”

Varis stopped short suddenly and stared at her, his brow knit together was he weighed her words and then a small smile caught the corner oh his lips. “That is one of the more _sane_ things he has done but I also feel like I owe you an apology if my beastly son has caused you any inconveniences.”

“I’m going to say yes.” The hero said simply and there was another round of silence as Varis eyes widened.

“You’re serious?” he finally asked after a long uncomfortable moment.

“He’s not been my prisoner this entire time, he’s been my lover.”

Varis face finally betrayed some of his thinking as a variety of thoughts passed over his face, his mouth opened and closed a few times as he tried to grasp the right words. Impossible? Incredulous? Ridiculous? Was there a word that could even sum up the absurdity of the entire thing?

He finally settled for something diplomatic. “You of all people have tamed my wayward progeny…..and as absurd no….as absolutely ridiculous as that sounds, if you are the one keeping my son in check there may be hope for the empire yet. I can’t exactly say I relish the idea of the Warrior Of Light being the future Empress but if it means keeping Zenos from utterly destroying everything I have worked for from the inside out, I will learn to deal with it.”

The hero smirked. “Fair enough. Let’s be over and done with it.”

Varis nodded and they continued down the hall.


	12. Storming the castle gates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, hope you are all well wherever you are in the world. Again I apologize for this latest chapter being very late! I had a few big things happen the past month in a half, other than covid shutting down my country and loosing my job that made it impossible for me to write expediantly. 1) I had to relocate back to Japan to be with my husband due to Covid, japan was shutting down its borders and if I didnt go then and there I would not be able to see my husband until fall (we were already seperated 8 months so yeah, didnt want to wait any longer) so I am back in Japan until further notice and then my anemia hit me full force because my diet changed too drastically so ive been battling the fatigue and malaise that comes with it. im doing much better now and was able to hammer out this latest chapter. Hope you enjoy it! I also apologize for any spelling mistakes!!!! im going to try to go through it and fix anything i find!

The Garlean soldier whom housed the soul of the true crowned prince stood at the gates of the palace and looked up at the familiar spires and buttresses of his home. Though it should have evoked some hope in him or some lingering sentimentality, it did not. Not anymore. He had never had an emotional attachment to any place or person and this opulent palace was nothing more than another obstacle in his way that he would gladly raze to the ground if he needed to, for her sake. While he was intent on charging on and taking back what was his along with his beloved, footsteps behind him boded ill for his plans.

“Zenos Yae Galvus, I presume?” Estinien asked carefully as he stepped from around the shadow of the nearest street lamp and made himself known.

“Ah the spies are no longer content to work in the shadows.” Zenos drawled uninterestedly and kept his back to the dragoon. “I suppose you have grand designs on storming the palace yourself.”

“Indeed we do.” Gaius said as he stalked down the courtyard pathway and stopped at a safe distance. “Though I imagine our goals are very different.”

“The hero is indeed inside along with your father.” Estinien started. “Our intelligence has told us as much but what condition we may find them in is another story. Considering there are two Ascians to contend with….”

“I will not be teaming up with the likes of you and am capable of saving my beast under my own powers through this body may not be the most ideal.” Zenos quickly cut the man off.

“I would not dare to suggest it considering your penchant for cutting down your own allies. I simply suggest that in order for us both to achieve our goals we make good on the fact the Ascian’s do not expect more than one force to be interrupting them.”

“And what of you, Black Wolf?” Zenos jutted his helmed chin at the former Legatus now turned rogue wanderer.

“My allegiance will always be with his Radiance Varis and only him. My goal is to destroy Black Rose and free his Radiance from the Ascian’s influence. After that, I do not plan to stay and very bluntly do not care for your ways crowned prince. My time in Garlemald is dependant on how quickly we can achieve this and nothing more.”

“Hmph.” Zenos huffed. “Do as you will but lay no hand on my prize.”

“So the rumors are true then that you two have some sort of affinity for each other.” Estinien raised a brow and smirked.

“That is no business of yours.”

“So long as the choice is hers to make, I find no problem with who she couples with. Though the though of her behind the throne of Garlemald in the near future will be quite interesting to say the least. Let us be about saving our friend.”

They all turned to look at the daunting citadel and prepared themselves for what was to be a very bloody engagement.

+++++++++++++++++++

“How much further?” The hero asked as her and varis moved swiftly down the next corridor. It seemed endless, the amount of turns, secret passages and rooms they went through.

“I must warn you about what you’re going to see….”Varis said crytically as the next automatic doorway opened and they stepped inside a large chamber filled with large test tubes spiraling from the floor all the way up to the vaulted ceiling. The hero blinked and rubbed her eyes to make sure she was not hallucinating, for in each tube was Solus Zos Galvus, the very man she was not so long ago trying to escape from.

“What the twelve….” She said under her breath as she took in the sight of his clones sleeping lifeless in their glass coffins. So this had been his production line of bodies, a Garlean Lab equipped with all the necessities for producing clones of the former emperor. The eerie glow from each tube made her skin crawl and she half expected the eyes of the sleeping emperors to snap open at any moment.

“This is where he keeps his spares.” Varis said simply. “Let us be quick and silent.” And with that stalked past the tubes and towards the other end where another door awaited. She followed after just as swiftly but when the door on the other side opened and they entered a smaller lab that looked more like a medics quarters, Solus and Zenos were both waiting apparently on to whatever the hero and the Emperor had been planning all along.

The door shut behind them ominously and the two stood silent before the Ascian’s.

“Oh how you disappoint me Varis.” Solus drawled and rubbed his temples with his long gloves fingers. “You had one very simple instruction and couldn’t even follow that. I suspected as much though and needless to say have been concocting a back up plan in the event you should aptly chicken out. But for a small moment I had hoped you would grow a spine. Oh well, you saved me the trouble of luring the Warrior Of Light down here in any event.”

The hero’s eye quickly flicked to the medical table behind them and the large allagan looking apparatus that loomed over it. There was no mistaking that the self same table had been used to “augment” its specimens as Zenos once aptly described and it took no small imagination to know how painful that had been.

Varis knew all to well where this was going as stepped out in front of the hero to shield her, a strange and yet welcomed gesture from one whom she would have guessed wanted her dead and some point. His cape swished as he pulled a large Garlean Revolver from his belt and pointed it as his patriarch.

“I know all to well where your perversions lie! Keep away from her!” Varis barked and fired his gun but not before Elidibus swung his katana and sliced it and Varis hand clean off in one fell strike.

The hero gasped in horror as his Radiance’s severed hand fell to the floor and he roared in pain while trying to stifle the vast amounts of blood that poured from its stump. When she made to help him he pushed he roughly with his shoulder. “Run for your life you fool!”

She didn’t have time to react as Solus appeared before her in a whisp of black aether and made to grab her. With her level of training though she knew it was coming and even with the stifling collar limiting her powers she could still physically ravage the average person so she ducked quickly and shot a punch out that caught the Garlean’s big hooked nose. His head snapped back as blood poured from it and he looked at her with a mixture of indignity and horror as he raised a gloves hand to his nose and stopped the bleeding. She used the chance to side kick him straight in the solar plexes, knocked him back for enough for her to turn tail and run. Her legs only made it a few steps before phantom whisps of darkness wrapped around her legs and arms, hoisting her off her feet and into the air where a very peeved off ascian chided her. “Now that was just uncalled for!” Solus complained as he held her in the air with his tendrils of dark energy. “You are lucky I find your spunk attractive or else I would simply end you here and now. As it is though, I do have a little experiment I’d like you to participate in. Elidibus if you would be so useful as the remove my grandson lest he further incur my annoyance. At least keep him out of my way for a little while.”

“Worry not, I have great plans for our wayward emperor.” Elidibus smiled and stalked towards Varis who was on his knees, sweat pouring from his brow and trying to breathe through the pain of loosing a limb.

“What will you do to her?!” He hissed through the pain.

“I think its best you worry about yourself…father…” Elidibus said darkly as he stood over the man. He raised his katana once more and struck the Garlean hard across the head with the back of his blade and Varis promptly fell over unconscious. The body that was Zenos suddenly glew with dark aether and reformed itself, taking on Varis’s appearance as he looked over his shoulder at the lampooned warrior. “I need to make preparations for our guests who are sure to arrive soon. Don’t make too much of a mess Emet Selch.” Elidibus said using Varis’s lips.

“Oh do stop wasting time, you have a nation to thwart and genocide to me had.” Emet Selch rolled his eyes at his comrade whom grabbed the unconscious true emperor by the collar and dragged him out of the room leaving the hero alone with her captor.

He wasted no opportunity lowering her to the gurney where her legs and arms were promptly shackled and adjusted the strange apparatus above her, turning some levers and what not as if he were a master operator. More than likely he was with the amount of time he had been alive and scheming against mankind. When she was properly prepared, and she struggled all the while against metal bonds that would not break under any circumstances, he bent over her so his face was parallel to hers and she could smell the blood that clung to his skin and was crudely wiped away with the back of his hand.

“Zenos used this selfsame technology to augment himself, giving himself and that chained dog of his…oh what was her moniker now….the “butcher”…the false resonance you witnessed during your battles in Ala Mhigo. It’s a offshoot of Allagan tech which I created eons ago and while I could use it to augment you, I wish to test a theory. With Zenos I was able to unlock a very specific memory which mankind should have collectively all but forgotten. You are 7 times rejoined, a fine specimen of the Human Race and testament to mankinds potential.” He prattled on.

“The hells are you talking about?” She spat through clenched teeth.

He paused and gave her a sad look. “You really do not know? Your abilities and resilience as the Warrior of light does not come from Hydaelyn but from that fact that you are a semi completed soul while all others are fragments of what they used to be. Think on it girl, would any other warrior survive the horrors you have lived? The primals you have felled, the enemies you have slain…any other soul would have been murdered a thousand times over attempting the same feats. You know the tale of the shards do you not? 13 worlds shattered from the source. If such a experiment could yield such desirable results in Zenos, I wonder what it might do to someone like you? Should you walk away from it alive, you may be something completely new and revolutionary…but should this fail. You’ll be in no better a situation then previously….though missing a few of your mental faculties perhaps.” He smiled and everything was in place. “Don’t disappoint me,now. Should you survive this, I will concede to let you take Garlemald and leave you and your beastly lover in peace. A fair trade no?” And with that the machine came to life. Aether pumped through its conduits, lights lit up and the strange lamp like machine that was pointed down at her turned on a current of energy shot through it and into her.

She didn’t have time to mentally register anything other than pain, hot searing pain that took her from head to toe and caused her to scream and brace against her shackles as Solus stood by her side, a crazy yet mirthful smile on his. He kissed her on the forehead before standing back up and backing away. “I have ever bit of faith in you.”

**************

The moment the trio of ragtag warriors broke through the front gate, guards swarmed them from both sides but they suffered little delay cutting them down and storming the palace grounds. Zenos made good on his word and cut his own path into his own home, not caring who came before his blade with a single minded determination to get his beloved beast back into his arms.

When he entered the main gallery, alarms blared as machina and soldiers tried to cut them off. Zenos would have been happy to deal with them if something else hadn’t prickled his senses. A stirring in the air, a change in the currents and the faint scent of roses made the skin on his arms prickle with delight for he knew only one such creature who would smell so sweetly.

Estinien and Gaius had their hands full taming the garrison that came at them they cared not for the fact that Zenos walked sharply away from them leaving only them to deal with the brunt as he methodically walked down the corridor and followed that familiar aroma.

“The throne room is just up ahead, I suggest we find varis and plead with him directly before we do much else.” Gaius suggested as he cut his way through the crowd of man and machine and Estinien followed behind. They made their way up the foyers scarlet red staircase and then through a set of large ornate double doors that served as entrance way to the audience chamber. There was little resistance when they kicked it in and entered, finding his Radiance sitting on the black throne with two of his best servants attending to him.

He looked up at the two men as if he had been expecting them all along and waved off his servants who were ready to attack any and all who came close to their master.

“I half expected my beastly son to be the one to raise hell in this palace and surprised am I to find its none other than Van Baelsar….Why have you returned Black Wolf?” Varis asked.

“I know my presence is not welcome in Garlemald but I wanted to see for myself the man who thought to use such a weapon as Black Rose on the masses.” Gaius answered, aware that something about his former emperor was off and knowing all too well how the Ascian’s were fond of stealing faces.

“As I recall you were never fond of the idea. If Garlemald is to secure its place in the future we cannot let the Eorzean resistance run amok. Perhaps this show of force would remind the heathens of their place in this world.”

“That is a very Garlean thing to say.” Gaius admitted but he smirked with indignation. “For an Ascian.”

Elidibus didn’t even flinch at being discovered by the ex legatus now turned Ascian Hunter. “I had heard rumor of a mysterious group of vagabonds who have been hunting down my comrades, never did I think it would be you Gaius Van Baelsar, but alas I am not surprised either. I suppose you are still sore from your defeat in the Pretorium.”

“Defeat at the hands of the Warrior of Light. For that I am neither sore nor vengeful but for the Ascian who deemed it wise to betray me….”Gaius took the Garlean gunblade from his back and pointed it at the man. “I pity the creature and I demand my liege be returned to his rightful state.”

“As you have seem to forgotten. It was the warrior of light who felled Lahabrea, not you or that dragoon you parade around with and she is pre-occupied and unable to assist you.”

“Ah but are we not all so much more than what we once were. For his Radiance, I will defeat you!” Gaius launched himself forward and brought his blade down upon the head of his emperor.

************

With single minded determination and feet that had walked those halls oh so many times Zenos ran his way through the gauntlet of corridors and stairs, tracing the path to the laboratory where he himself had been the subject of myriad tests in his quest for power. His ears perked up at the sound of a shrill scream echoing in the distance and the hair on the back of his head stood on end. He knew that sound and whom it came from.

The automated doors into the cloning chamber of Solus opened and he stopped in his tracks. This had not been there before though it had been more than a few years since he was dispatched to Doma and it took only a millisecond for his sharp mind to understand the gravity of the situation that had befallen his father and his kingdom in the time he was away. Not only had the Ascian’s managed to get their grip on Garlemald, the founding father was one and recently returned by the looks of it.

Another scream snapped him out of his thoughts and he looked at the adjuscent door where he knew the aetherical apparatus was and looked at the faces of the Solus Clones before a dark thought crossed his mind. He needed no prompting to slice the tubes and mechanisms that fed the bodies to pieces as quickly and methodically sabotaged the entire operation, watching the aether drain from each of the bodies and the automated console that controlled their status flashed red. With no fluids to feed them they would quickly perish in a matter of minutes, having no oxygen to feed the brain and neurons that just barely clung to life for the clones they were.

It was a precaution, a small one to make sure a certain Ascian Grandpa couldn’t quickly rejuvenate or reclaim a body when the opportunity presented itself. But Zenos was well aware of his own limitation in the stolen flesh of a imperial centurian and he smirked through the glass at the nearest body of his patriarch that lay slumbering within. The flesh of Solus Zos Galvus would be a decidedly nice upgrade.

******************

Solus stood against the far wall of the lab watching the hero writhe under the ministrations of the device, his arms crossed over his chest and eyes closed in silent contemplation, unaware of what had just happened in the next room where his spare bodies lay over the cocophony of her screams. His thoughts were his own. No one could ever fathom the hopes and desires in his twisted mind with his sordid machinations and schemes. For the women table whom he shared a passing familiarity with that was no more or less his toy nor for the many evils he had wrought throughout the centuries among many other kingdoms and people. But it was the sudden feeling of cold metal against his neck that broke him from his concentration and he turned his head only slightly to look at a face that belonged to him.

“Ohhhhh.” He drawled and clicked his tongue at the clone with the katana firmly planted at the front of his throat “The prodigal son has returned. Come to save your bonnie lass then have you? Of course you have, Is it not wholly ironic that you should fall for the one thing that can end your miserable life in this world? That thing being not only the object of your affections but also mine own desires.” He smirked and his eyes narrowed. “What to do then? What to do? I am willing to share her with you so long as I am the one operating everything behind the scenes but somehow I think you will dislike that idea.”

“I never had words for you in my childhood great grandfather. I certainly have none now. You who spent your years secreting yourself away in every corner of the palace, engaging in your debaucheries, having no mind to hone yourself for the hunt. Someone as base as you could never hope to handle a women like her. She would burn you to a cinder body and soul.” Zenos said with the lips of Solus in a voice that was wholly his own and equally uninterested in whatever shite his patriarch would spew. “The hero is mine. Mine and mine alone. I have won her heart fairly and tasted those sweet lips. I will not suffer to have any other lay hands on her least of all you. If I have to dismantle this mummery of a kingdom brick by brick then so be it!” He meant to decapitate his relative then and there is a wave of dark aether had not hit him first and sent him flying back.

Solus cracked his neck and felt the unmarked flesh of his throat as he turned and sneered at the intruder. “And I have suffered your insolence for far too many years! Such a brutish, arrogant, stupid and vainglorious creature could never be heir to my legacy! Varis should have thrown you on the funerary pyre along with your mother all those years ago!”

Zenos caught his footing and made ready for his next strike, the memory of his mother’s death being the one sore subject never to be encroached upon by anyone say his warrior. He growled and swung down on Solus, the ascian catching the blade against a forcefield of darkness as they pitted strength against magic.

Surely Solus had the upper hand when it came to such arcane works but Zenos was not without his own trump card and when the Ascian smirked at the prince is presumptuous victory Zenos’s eyes began to glow red with the power of his resonance. Solus frowned at the sight as the prince hit him with his own wave of telekinetic power that easily rivaled his enemies and knocked the man off kilter. The resulting shockwave swept across the entire room, tearing the aetherical device off the ceiling and causing the warriors body to finally be still, but if she was still alive or not remained to be seen.

This was enough to distract Solus giving Zenos the opportunity he needed to bring his katana down hard right top his great grandfathers head. He cleaved the ascian’s Garlean body from crotch to gizzard and watched with silent satisfaction as the two halves slumped in a bloody mess on the floor. He knew not to waste whatever precious minutes he gained by disposing of the clones beforehand and raced to his warrior’s side where she lay limp and dead.

He felt her throat for a pulse and found one though it was weak and bent over her close enough to stare down at her slack face, eyes half open but no life left in them. Whatever it was that his patriarch had attempted, it was not without harm to her inner psyche perhaps even ripping her soul from her flesh and sending it into the aether as once happened to him. There was only one way to be sure and using his resonance he cupped her face between his hands and pushed himself into her mind, not entirely sure what he would find there but hoping some small flame of his beloved still lingered.


	13. Memories long forgotten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter we explore some personal theories and headcanons I have for Zenos that connect with the current 5.2 story patch for SHB. I also talk a bit about the WOL's old ancient history with two certain ascians which may explain Emet's harsh treatment of Zenos and rather obvious lust/hatred for the WOL. Enjoy!

Her ungodly high yet elegant roundhouse kick caught the poor gladiator under the chin and his whole body rocketed upward only to be thrown back against the hard brick walls of the colosseum by a swift side kick to the stomach. He hit the wall hard enough to shatter his helmet and there he slumped to the ground, unconscious and defeated like so many of the others who dared to step into the ring with the Dalamascan Rose.

The crowd in the stadium seats above her stood up and cheered a loud roaring congratulations as they chanted her name and threw gifts of red roses, jewelry, candy and other such things to her feet. She reveled in their delight and held her hands triumphantly in the air and then gave a dramatic bow as she picked up the nearest rose and brought it to her smiling lips.

Her subligar left nothing to the imagination, her sweat shining on her spry body and yet not nary a scratch nor bruise maimed her skin. With the adoration of her fans she whirled around bowed repeatedly to them, a big smile on her rosy lips. Ah their cries of joy and the rush of battle made her skin crawl with delight as yet another victory was hers this day like so many before that. And yet despite many such victories, she never tired of it.

Zenos watched all this from the stands, his true face ( blending in with those around him so it would take a miracle for her to spot him in the masses and while he meant to call out to her in the midst of this strange memory they both found themselves entangled in, seeing her in her former glory was a treat. She was in her element, a voluptuous beastly beauty who’s femininity was a ruse for the raw power and strength she held within. The man whom she had just smote, like the crowd and like Zenos could only watch on at look at her with awe.

The fanfare was short lived however and in the midst of her joy her face suddenly frowned, her eyes clenched shut and she grabbed at her skull. The phantoms around them, the people and the colosseum shivered and rippled like disturbances on the surface of water. Zenos could see that she was struggling, that she realized this entire situation was nothing more than a memory and weather it was by her own echo or the contraption that Solus used on her, more memories were forcefully being pulled from her mind.

Her eyes snapped open and she looked around up in the stands, her expression was so frantic and her eyes scoured the stands. Zenos stood up and pushed himself through the crowd that still cheered for their champion, shoving spectators aside to reach the edge of the railing that cliffed into the arena. She was looking for _him_ and when he finally reached the railing he shouted down to her. “Warrior!”

Her head snapped up in the direction of his voice and she reached her hand out to him. “Don’t let it take me!” She screamed. Everything around them shattered like glass as the memory ended and the floor gave out underneath her in a great gaping chasm. He leaped over the railing and dove down to her, outstretching his arm in a vein attempt to catch her hand but the darkness swallowed her up and him along with it.

Memory after memory flashed before his eyes in quick succession, all of them being hers in the same manner she had experienced his not too long ago. The death of her parents in the streets, her infancy in Dalmasca and then…..much more. Memories of beings she _used_ to be. Her other shards. Men and women, Hyurans and Viera, each and all of them _her_ at some point in time before they either died in battle or by other means.

At first this confused Zenos, even though he knew of the 13 shards and their origins, he had never dared to think they were literally real and that his chosen love had been a warrior of light on each and every one of those. There was no denying that her abilities were extraordinary and it explained why and how she could survive the un survivable, even besting him multiple times in combat. She was hundreds of lives lived in succession, all carried over into one source person and she had not even reached her limit yet. That he ever thought so little of her upon their first meeting was pure arrogant hubris on his part and he knew in that moment he would ever be a grain of sand compared to her infinite power, no matter how strong he became no matter how many enemies he felled, he was nothing in compassion to her. This should have deterred him, shaken his resolve but that possessive and selfish side of him wanted her all the more for it and she could take his life time and time again he would end up coming back for more.

Zenos feet touched solid ground as the area around him warped and then the scene that played out before him was one that he was all too entirely familiar with. Tall elegant black buildings burned around him as flames ate away at what was once a jewel of a city. Tall being in black robes that towered over modern man ran for their lives, cowering from the debris that fell on them from the sky, the comets that streaked across the azure horizon striking down both people and architecture in its wake.

He had scene this memory so many times in his dreams since his childhood but he never knew what I meant. These masked creatures who _looked_ human were strangers to him and yet it all felt so real, so familiar. He could feel the heat of the inferno, the smell of burning asphalt, hear the screams of desperation from a civilization that was falling under calamity and yet the where and why alluded him. Why was he seeing this memory? Was it not only his? Did the hero somehow share the same?

He walked through the burning city in his original form, the guise of Solus not having substance in this dream realm and just up ahead of him, standing on the precipice of oblivion was a women who’s long white cloak contrasted the others of her kind. Her face was turned up to the calamity in the sky as if she was merely watching all that was happening and not an active participant in the chaos. The long hair that flowed behind her was peppered with flowers and in the hand at her side was a white porcelain mask. She seemed to calm and serene in comparison to everything going on around them and he didn’t need to second guess who she was. She may have looked a bit different but her aura was unmistakable, she was _his_ warrior.

Immediately he made his way to her but when he grabbed her shoulders and spun her around the horrified look frozen on her face made him stop. Her eyes looked upwards at the calamity falling down on them, mouth slightly ajar apparently frozen in fear. He had never seen that sort of look on her before. She had always had nerves of steel. But even as a child when he first dreamed this nightmare the fear had taken him too but with repeated dreams of the same thing over and over again he became desensitized to it. Realizing it was nothing more than phantoms in the end. For her though, this was obviously entirely new.

“Warrior! Look at me! It’s an illusion!” he shook her hard but her features remained frozen, her psyche obviously in tatters due to Emet’s meddling. “Ive seen this before and I assure you its nothing to be afraid of. It’s a trick of the Ascian’s! A phantasm, a lie! Look at me!”

“The fear and horror that befell our world eons ago is simply too much for your feeble minds to comprehend. Ah, I had such hope for you Zenos. But in the end I awoke nothing, say perhaps your indomitably stupid ego.” Emet Selch called out in his usual condescending tone as he materialized behind the warrior with a glib smirk. The farce that was Solus was cast off and now he stood before them as an Ascian, his black robe and jagged armor the same as Lahabrea and the others before him. “I was truly content to leave Garlemald to you and her should things have worked out as I planned them but deep down I knew you could never be controlled and your death at the Menagerie was the most I could hope for. But you couldn’t even do _that_ right.” His smirk fell to a scowl. “Really Zenos, you’re very existence is a blight on my personal history and one that should have been wiped out long ago but good old sentimentality got the better of me and that disgusting feeling that maybe just maybe you would become of some use to me. What I had never anticipated though was you falling in love with _her_ and her ever possibly returning those feelings.... _in this life_! But you should know right here and now, you could never understand the gravity of who or what she is, what she used to be and what she has become.”

“This memory which has haunted me since I was but a babe, it was all your doing. But for what? To what end does this gain you?” Zenos asked gesturing to the inferno around them.

“Ah this was but a experiment to see how far the memory could be supplanted in the human mind and if one could even withstand it. Low and behold you did which is probably why you were able to augment yourself so well with your resonance as you call it but that’s where the experiment ends. You are still a incomplete fragment sent adrift on the cosmic tides with no hopes of ever rejoining further. Unlike our fair hero who has been rejoined 7 times and yet still…. _Still_ cannot fathom this memory of our home world scorched to a cinder but I yet have this burning in my chest, this desire, this disgusting hope that maybe this push will be enough to evoke _something_ in her.”

“And if it does not?”

“She will most likely remain like this, frozen in time, a prisoner to her own tortured psyche that not even you can break her from.” Emet shrugged as if it were a non issue. “but enough about her, you should worry about yourself. You abandoned all logical reasoning to join her in this little trip down memory lane and should you perish here, you will simply die a good old death, not unlike me though I doubt your resonance will be strong enough to release you from this place.” He grinned something vicious and raised a clawed hand to the Prince.

Zenos clenched his fists at his sides and gritted his teeth. He had no weapon in this strange dream world and could feel the power rippling off Emet Selch. Zenos, as brutish and arrogant as he was, was also no fool and knew defeating an Ascian of his great grandsires power would no small feat. He would do it though, for his beast’s sake and rip the fool limb from limb with his bare hands if he had to. Bloodlines be damned, the only person on this world or the other 13 to put any sort of frazzled expression on his warrior’s face would be him.

“Defeating me does not guarantee you a safe passage out of here. That all depends entirely on her.” The Ascian pointed out, sensing the thoughts of his predictable progeny.

Zenos took the bait and made a swipe at the Ascian. Despite having no weapons he would most certainly take his chance tearing the man limb from limb but his hand passed through Emet effortlessly as if he had no substance.

Emet laughed. “Oh come now! Think boy! You said so yourself you’ve had this _dream_ before. Do you really think you can hurt me here? Do you think me stupid enough to bring a physical body to this realm when you so conveniently sliced it in half only moments before? As I said before, if you wish to leave this place then it depends on _her.”_ A loud boom above them in the heavens caused them both to look up and high in the atmosphere of the earth a large meteor was coming towards them. If it hit it would decimate them and the entire world as they knew it. At this point the dream had always ended for the Prince and he would wake up with a jolt and pounding heart in his younger years, but that eventually gave way to apathy after having dreamed it so many times.

“Oh do be quick about it you have….3 minutes to the end of the world.” Emet pointed out.

Zenos bit his bottom lip enough to draw blood and growled at himself. The sweet metallic zing of his own blood on his tongue made him focus and he turned back to the warrior. He quickly stepped up to her and grabbed her shoulders, her face still frozen in horror with the calamity happening above her.

Taking in a deep breath he took her all in, every inch of her cloaked body and the face he had become so familiar with and he felt himself calming, going to that mental place somewhere between life and death that his psyche tended to favor. Where he felt nothing and nothing felt him. But it was different this time. There was a heaviness in his heart that had not been there before that had crept in over the days and weeks of his knowing her. Of course at first it was simple infatuation. Interest in a creature that could rival him, a prey worthy of the hunt.

But it began to take shape as something else. The feeling transformed somehow. Sometimes it felt as if his heart was being crushed in his chest, just by gazing at her. Waking up next to her and craving the touch of her skin against his, the sound of her voice in his ears, the smell of her rose perfume lingering in the wind. He had to ponder for a moment what the world would be like without her in it beside him and that thought made something break inside of him that he had never given acknowledgment to.

Zenos cupped her face in his hands, though her body was rigged from fear and her face and eyes never turned away from the calamity. He bent down close to breathe in that familiar scent of hers and buried his face between the crook of her neck where it was strongest and the warmth of her skin lingered on his forehead.

“Ah dear warrior…” He said against her ear in the softest of voices that only she could hear. “Our hunt has brought us many times before the precipice of life and death. It is a delicate dance we have played many times with each other. But alas, this one by far has been the most challenging and has taken us beyond what I dared hope to ever imagine in my dreary ephemeral life. I am eternally grateful for the thrill and joy you have brought to this poor banal soul that yearns for such tenacious endeavors. I speak to you know in the only way I possibly can, in words that can express what is deeply rooted in a heart that has known nothing but the joys of combat the ecstasy of victory.” His breath shuddered against her as he tried to find the right words. “I…. _need_ you! I can not imagine going back to any life without you in the foray challenging me with your ridiculous heroics, enticing me with you tenderness, chastising me for my inequities, punishing me for my wrong doings…..I had everything as a heir to the throne and yet….at the same time I had _nothing_! I was searching the world over for a greater challenge and bigger prey and I found you instead, the greatest and most splendid creature to ever claim victory of me! You can not leave me so! Come back to me fair hero! Come back to me…..(Y/N)!”

************

So many memories flashed before her eyes. So many faces, voices, smells, sights….from her adulthood to her childhood and then further back. To having a body she didn’t recognize, friends she had never known, places she had never seen. It was all so confusing and her mind tried to make quick sense out of a vortex of information suddenly forcing its way into her mind…or was it being extracted? The pain that accompanied each and every memory felt like a drill bit going through the deepest recesses of her brain and that in itself threatened to consume her. She could have begged for death to end the pain but perhaps even death would not give her a release.

Then suddenly and explicably, everything stopped as if someone had froze the very hands of time and space. The images stopped, blacked out by a sudden void she found herself standing in and before her was the tallest and strangest creature she had ever seen. Its cloaked body and hooded head did little to hide the sheer white harlequin mask that sat on a expressionlessly blank face. It was as if someone had simply forgotten to paint on the features of a marbled statue with skin so translucently white it glowed and while the entire creature might be thought of as foreboding the same way a grim reaper might be, the feeling that emanated from itself was one of calm warmth and affection.

“You have finally come at last, mistress Persephone.” It said in a strange wordless type mutter that somehow she understood.

Her eyes darted to and fro, trying to make sense of where exactly she was and then focused on the being in front of her, scrutinizing it now that she had the luxury to.

“Fear not. Presently you are everywhere and nowhere, much like a schrodinger cat who is neither inside nor outside the box.” It chuckled at her obvious confusion.

“We….are inside of me?” She corrected.

“Indeed.”

“And you are?” She raised a brow.

“Hythlodaeus, chief of the burea of the architect.” He bowed his tall hooded head cordially.

“I’m not sure what any of that means but You called me Persephone….you must be mistaken, that is not my name.” She pointed out and then a flash of pain shot through her head as her own inner voice told her; _Yes it is._

Hythlodaeus watched her flinch in pain, grabbing her forehead to ease the headache and tilted his head mirthfully to the side. “It would seem Emet Selch has been busy meddling in your affairs. These memories were not meant to be awoken until you were fully rejoined.”

“Rejoined?” She grimaced as the pain subsided. “What on earth are you talking about…what is all this!?” she gestured around her into the darkness.

“Take it slowly, little by little. As I said, these memories were not meant to be awoken so soon and it may cause you damage to try to force them into making sense right now. Let us start slow from the beginning. Do you remember what place this is?”

 _Amaurot._ Her inner voice told her once more and she voiced it out loud.

“Well done.” The ancient being said in a tone that was very pleased though his face remained a blank canvas. He waved one of his long arms and the scenery around them returned to the burning inferno, only in this context it was the way one might be viewing a recording and her fear was detached from it.

“Eons ago, the ancient city of Amaurot fell to calamity of our own making, our creations magics run amok calling forth one monstrosity after another until the very world itself was ending.” He explained and held out his long slender hand for her to take it. She had no reason not to and did as he bade, feeling cool aethereal flesh against her palm and he guided her through the memory. It must have looked so silly, her short frame compared to his he could have been guiding a infant only recently taking their first steps and he towered over her in the same way a beloved parental figure would. “The convocation of 14…though it was 13 at the time, our most powerful kinsmen sought to remedy this by imbuing our star with a will of its own. This became Zodiark. However, there were those who dissented the idea, arguing that Zodiark’s appetite for souls would never end and this tried to break the cycle by summoning hydaelyn.”

The hero paused and thought on his words. “Wait you said 14 convocation members? What happened to the other one?”

He stopped and turned to her, the white face mask staring down at her. “She walked away from convocation. Being irreparably opposed to the summoning of Zodiark, she disappeared. Never to be seen again. She knew what she was doing and saw the folly in our people’s desperation.”

There was a palpable sadness to the creatures story especially when he spoke of the missing 14th member and she knew without a doubt he meant her, or Persephone as she was known in those days. It was true, all of it. She would not have stood idly by while her kinsmen concocted such a plan and would have been actively trying to outdo it, oppose it or escape it.

“And the end result was a sundered world of 13 shards….” The hero said mostly to herself and she put all the puzzle pieces together.

“And so it has been for eons. But you have broken the cycle by rejoining 7 times which puts you at an advantage. I do not think your inner psyche could handle this knowledge if it were not so and it is the same for Zenos.”

She gasped at his name. He had been calling her only moments before she had blacked out completely from the pain so did that mean he was fighting while she laid dead on a gurney table? The entire situation came back to her and she felt her heart speed up. “Oh gods! Zenos! I have to get back to him! He’s in trouble!”

Hythlo raised his hands to soothe her. “I can assure you for the moment he is safe, but not for much longer so please listen just a bit more. Zenos, like you is also rejoined 7 times.”

She froze and quickly mulled over in her mind how that could be possible and when nothing came to mind asked, “How can that be? He is no survivor of calamities!” She argued.

“Emet Selch has been conducting experiments for centuries on mankind, trying to find a way to re awaken memories of our former selves to gauge mankind’s potential as it stands. It has been met with many failures and many deaths. However, Zenos was strong enough to withstand the forced rejoining’s and I suspect Emet Selch had secretly been killing his other selves in the 13 shards to accomplish this. This is the only way Zenos could augment himself with a resonance strong enough to rival an Ascian’s and not have it destroy him in one way or another. Hear me Persephone, this puts the two of you at a incredible advantage. This memory will end soon and so will I too fade away. Emet Selch will be waiting for you so you must be ready to face him, he will not let you go so easily knowing that his experiment worked.”

“How is it that you know all this if you are merely a shade in my memory?” She dared to ask. Long slender hands rested on her tiny shoulders as he knelt down so his mask was at her face level. “The memories that are returning to you now are surely already a heavy burden to bear. Just know that whatever world you walk, whatever path you choose, I will surely follow closely behind as was ever my joy.”

An all too familiar voice echoed out of nowhere, carrying her name on the wind.

“It’s him!” She gasped and whirled around, searching for the source of his voice.

Hythlodaeus looked up into the sky for a moment and took a deep breath. “My time has come then….We must part ways here but before I fade back into the tides of memory, may I ask you one thing? Do you love the one named Zenos?”

The hero stopped her fidgeting and gave the tall being a funny look. “Enough to marry the crazy bastard.”

The ancient one chuckled at her blunt answer. “The fates surely have an incorrigible sense of humor but I am glad to hear it. Tis ironic he should reincarnate as Emet Selch’s son of all things. Go now fair hero, you’ve yet more ballads to inspire and hearts to win.”

“Wait…something feels…” She began and tried to put words to a feeling that lingered in her heart and on the edge of her memory. “If you are the chief of the burea of the architect, that made you Emet Selch’s right hand man….why would you of all people be helping me? Why are _you_ here?”

There was a small pause as long pale hands gripped her shoulders and he bent down so his mask for face level to hers. Though the face was blank and so was the mask save for two black holes where eyes should have been, a very familiar aura eluded from the creature that made her skin crawl and not in a bad way. It was the same sensation Zenos gave her when his breath caressed her skin or his purring voice whispered secrets in her ear, far too familiar and intimate for this creature to just be a passing specter.

“where so ever you go and whatsoever form you take, I will always be a step behind you. Watching you and guarding you as I have always done since the beginning of time, _my old friend…_.” And for just a moment she could have sworn she saw ice blue eyes flash at her underneath that porcelain façade.

“No….”She gasped and she made to grab his lapels as he slipped away from her and turned to walk away. “Zenos!?” Her mind did mental backflips at the implication before she suddenly and completely remembered _everything._

_**********_

_She had long since been a member of the Convocation of 14 by the time Hades and Hythlodaeus had come into the picture and while Emet Selch’s piercing intellect and perception was refreshing from the hum drum of long winded convocation assemblies and lecture, it was the quiet yet inquisitive Hythlodaeus that caught her attention. He was not such a wordsy person to the average observer but when prodded the right way his wit and cunning were unusual and refreshing for a very strict, communal like civilization such as Amaurot was. She admired that in him, that he could break away from the cookie cutter mentality their people tended to favor and much like Hades, tended to throw traditions to the wind in search of better ideas._

_What a surprise it was to have him pursue her with such ferocity and dedication despite their social status being vastly divided by her position within the convocation. It was looked down upon of course, that a Chief would dare to try to romance an Amaurotine of her position even though she welcomed his advances. In the end it would cause them numerous problems not withstanding Emet Selch’s disapproval of Hythlodaeus unusual infatuation which he deemed a nuisance if nothing else. It was all a ruse on Emet’s part, his own growing feelings for the 14 th becoming just a fervent and obvious as his friend’s._

_She had never anticipated such a thing, to be between the two men, her heart belonging squarely to Hythlodaeus but social pressures and propriety pushing Emet Selch to take her as his intended wife. She flatly refused his propositions even though he bombarded her manse with gifts and offerings, trying to sway her heart in anyway possible and kept herself at a distance from the both of them in an attempt to steel her heart. This seemed to spur on the honorable Emet Selch more and not a day went by without his frequent visits and inquiries and she tolerated it for Hythlodaeus’s sake but when the day of the calamity came, everything, even the fabric of reality changed._

_The convocations insane concept of rendering the star a sentient willful being that could withstand and stop their incoming doom seemed knee jerk and poorly thought out, she vehemently disagreed with the idea even with the growing pressure from the other 13 to perform such a feat. She could not stand with them but she had not that power to stand against them and did not put it past their rather totalitarian like brethren, especially Lahabrea, to force her into submission of the need arose._

_She ever so wanted to stay and fight them tooth and nail but it was Hythlodaeus who eventually convinced her to leave Amaurot all together, abandoning the convocation in search of some way to forestall their demise. At the edge of the city he bid her goodbye, warning her not to return lest she draw the wrath of her brethren, especially his best friend whom would be scathing at her insult for both rejecting his numerous advances and running to where he could not follow. Hades would know it was Hythlo who secreted her away but he was prepared to take the brunt of his friends wrath in her stead, giving her the time she needed to concoct a counter plan to the creature that would be Zodiark._

_“Endure….”He commanded her while pressing her long pale hands against his soft lips. “Survive….Live! For the rush of blood, for the time between seconds..live. For the soul pleasure left to me in this ephemeral world…Live!”_

_Her lips pressed firmly against his in what was to be their first and last kiss before she drew her white cloak over her head and walked into the night._


	14. Ends of the world

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well im still writing and im still alive but this month has really not been kind to me. I would have had this chapter up at the beginning of the month if my computer hadnt crashed and i lost my chapter, had to rewrite from scratch. It probably has lots of spelling mistakes so I apologize, i will try to go back and edit it little by little. 
> 
> Finally Zenos and his WOL are reunited under rather auspicious circumstances! Emet selch is emet selch and wont make it easy for them....or will he?

“Wait! Hythlodaeus!” The hero cried out as she reached for her tall mysterious benefactor but the moment her hand touched him it passed through him for he was nothing more than a ghost in her memories.

He turned and looked at her one last time before his shade faded out of existence entirely and the strange memory they were reliving roared back to life around her. The ground shook in warning and she almost lost balance but it was her name being shouted on the winds again that righted her.

“Y/N!” Zenos shouted from somewhere and the moment she made to respond she felt herself being thrown into another vortex and slammed back into her own body.

She gasped as her body collapsed but two strong sure hands kept her upright. Her head rolled back and she opened her eyes, seeing the world upside down for a moment as she got her bearings back and tilted her chin down to see the familiar gaze of her hulking Garlean prince.

She swallowed a few times to find her voice as she cupped his face in her hands and she flashed him a cheeky smile. “You’ve…never used my real name before….No matter how many times I asked you to do so….it sounds strange…. I think….beast will do nicely from here on out.” She heaved between breaths.

His brow crinkled for a split second before that husky half lidded look returned to his face and he smiled at her. “And so shall you be forever more, my beautiful beast….my friend.”

As much as she would have liked to of jumped his bones in that moment, Her eyes flicked over his shoulder to Emet Selch and she frowned as she pushed gently on Zenos shoulder so he would step aside and let her take measure of the Ascian. He did so obligingly as she faced her old friend dead on.

Emet Selch’s hardened expression turned soft as they took a good long look at each other and she stared down at the white mask in her hand. It had been eons since she had worn one and she felt no compulsion to do so now. It was merely a reminder of a life lived and lost and now she was reborn anew, as someone completely different with no nostalgic meanderings for the life she had. This was all an illusion woven by Emet, who could not let go of the past as much as he tried to convince himself and others that he cared not for it.

“It has been a long time Hades.” She spoke finally, keeping her tone and mannerisms casual and cool.

How long had it been since anyone had used that name? He had been Emet Selch for so long he sometimes wondered if he had ever been Hades at all. That life was so far removed from what it once was and yet the desire to see it again burned ever so strong in his breast. Hearing it upon her lips once more was a treat more sweeter than the finest ambrosia and his heart burned with the knowledge that his experiment, as incredulous as it was, worked.

“Persephone…” He damn neared moaned as he took a step forward but Zenos threateningly made to put himself between the two. She once again put a firm hand on his bicep and shook her head. This was not his battle to be won and he begrudgingly accepted that.

“Yes that is who I was once.” She agreed and once again glanced at the mask in her hand, then unceremoniously chucked it aside like the average piece of fodder. “And I remember everything….but it changes nothing. I am not Persephone anymore. I left the convocation eons ago and so also left that name and life.”

“I had dreamed of this reunion for ages, could only imagine the words that I would share with you…the tales and hardships….the loneliness….and already you are rejecting me? Can you fathom how long I have waited to see you again? Let us not talk so with each other! Let us speak of old times and old friends. Let us be as it once was!” He gestured to her with open arms. .”

“You know as well as I that can never be, no matter how many souls you feed to your god.” She shook her head. “Hythlodeus knew that all to well and so did many of the others.”

“Ah that poor fool.” Hades scoffed. “So in love with you that he could no longer distinguish the truth nor the brilliance of our plan. It was you who led him down the path of destruction. You and all those who tried to resist the convocation.”

“You are trapped in the past!” She said sternly. “So much so you mean to kill me, the warrior I have become in this life! If you loved me so then why would you do such a thing? Why would you try to hurt me in any of my forms? Was I never sacred to you? Even back then, when Zodiark was summoned and our kinsmen were sacrificed to feed his hunger, if he had asked for my soul would you have given it unto him without question?”

“In my defense I was not entirely sure who your fragmented soul was but I did have my speculations. I admit my folly but You know not what you speak. Zodiark in all his glory would have brought you back in time, all that was needed was the souls of the sundered.”

“You are _tempered_ Emet Selch! You will never see beyond the lens of your god! No matter how many honeyed words you speak, no matter how well you try to justify the things you do, you can not speak nor think with a unclouded mind!” She snapped back. “This was why I fled Amaurot, I could not bare to watch this fate befall our kind. I could not bare the idea of our kin dying to give life to that thing you call a god! I wasn’t the only one who felt that way! Hythlodaeus, your chief, agreed with me!”

Emet pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. “Ah yes that traitor….”

“What did you do to him once I left?” She demanded to know.

“He never returned.” Emet admitted simply. “The assumption was that you and he had eloped and made off together…but I can see now that wasn’t the case. He certainly did not make it back to the Convocation in any event.”

She went silent as she mulled over that new information and then turned her head slowly to look at Zenos whom intently looked back at her. Even though this story would surely be confusing to him, she knew he was a keen enough mind to put the pieces together himself for he had just as much knowledge of souls and shards as she did.

“Then he _was_ sundered like the rest of those that survived Zodiark’s appetite and his soul reborn.” She said while keeping her eyes intently on her lover. “ _Much like myself_.”

There was a long moment of silence as Zenos weighed her words and all of the information presented to him clicked together. His face betrayed no emotions but his eyes burned into hers and through his aether she could tell he understood _everything_ and with that knowledge his mind began to concoct ways to use it against the foe standing before the both of them. If they were both rejoined to an extent, how far would the power go? How far could they push it compared to a Paragon who was a complete being?

“My beast….then our meeting was ever fated to happen. Our union destined since time immemorial.” Zenos spoke at last and something flashed behind his eyes that he tried to make known to the warrior. He was planning his next move, a way to outsmart a million year old Ascian and she knew in that moment, he had already figured it all out. His high functioning legatus brain already had a strategy in mind.

“I do not know who this Hythlodaeus is nor do I have any memories beyond my immediate lifetime unlike our stalwart warrior however, if this creature held her in high regards and with such devotion then I can not help but take up his charge.” He went on. “For none can match my desire for the hero, not even a shade of my former existence, in this life. On such an accord is it not wholly laughable that she should still choose to reject you despite whatever convoluted history you had with her in _her_ past lives? No matter what trickery you try to employ she always finds a way back to _me_.” His words had both zeal and bite to them, bait meant to enrage Emet Selch and goad him into battle.

“You may have a shard of Hythlodaeus’s soul but you have no commonalities with him other than your misplaced affections for a women whom ultimately was your downfall.” Emet drawled and sneered at his great grandson. “Even with your rejoinings you gained no considerable traits from your former self unlike the hero here who has at least regained a sense of her old identity. I am loathe to admit that I had no expected it though Persephone was one of greater power in the convocation. Whatever the case, if neither of you will surrender yourselves to the Lord Zodiark then you can never truly be refined nor made whole. Persephone, I am extending a hand to you, to join us….rejoin the convocation and take your rightful place by our side. Let Zodiark rule you and everything will be made right. The world can be made whole again and our brethren restored to their former glory!” His body emanated with dark aether that prickled against the hero’s skin and while she wanted to back up away from it out of instinct she held her ground.

“I will go nowhere!” She growled back. “The world your dream of has come and gone and will never return. Even should Zodiark fulfil his promise, would the souls of our brethren truly be restored? Will their hearts remain the same? Their personalities as we remembered them? I will not sacrifice this world on such a gamble!”

“I can take you by force you realize? I should have done that eons ago to keep you in your proper place so do not think for one moment I will forgo that chance again. I will not suffer your interference further and you will know your place by mine and Zodiark’s side weather alive or dead!”

“So I can watch on as you destroy all my loved ones so you can regain yours?!”

“What worth are the sundered in comparison to our divine brethren!” He shot back, brow knitting in frustration. “What right do you have to speak such nonsense when you are the slayer of primals and beastman! Do the beasts of the earth stop and cry for the ants they may step on in their journeys?”

“And I admit _my folly_ in my ignorance.” The hero admitted openly. “But my belief still stands, I wont let you or the other ascian’s manipulate man any further!”

Hades tried to talk her down. “Persephone, end this madness and return to us. Return to me or I will take you by force!”

“You are welcomed to try but neither I nor my husband to be will surrender so easily. I know I am just a sundered soul, 7 times rejoined and still lacking in power compared to a Paragon, who’s memories of such an ancient life are nothing more than whispers on the wind. I am reborn, not as Persephone but as something more.”

The sexiest and slyest smile spread across the legatus’s lips as he looked intently at the hero. “Oh my….do you tempt me as you do the fates or do you speak true?”

“If you have not changed your mind.” She smiled back her natural cheeky smile.

“Oh for the love of Zodiark…” Hades groaned.

“I possess none whatsoever.” She said quickly and succinctly. “You said so yourself that you were willing to leave myself and Zenos to our own devices should we allow you to control us behind the scenes as you have so aptly done with Varis. Let us turn those terms on their head, shall we?”

“Indeed let us do so.” Zenos agreed and swept his arm out, a long silver Katana suddenly materializing in his hand and he pointed it at the Ascian. “While you were gloating over your presumptuous victory I had the needed time to ascertain exactly what this place was and how we might bend the rules to our favor. T’was you who gave me this dream as a child, this memory, so I am immune to its horrors and much to my delight, my warrior is as well. I’ve been given many slanderous titles in my life, butcher, murderer, brute, heartless, cruel….but never have I been called simple or stupid. You make your desire for her all too apparent and despite whatever fruitless history you have had with her, she has failed to return your affections.” That ever predatory and cunning smile spread across his face as his clothes warped from the legatus armor the hero had grown familiar with and into something far more regal. His black jagged pauldrons were replaced with a white frock coat of gold tassels and trim as his armor recolored itself to a dark burgundy red.

The hero, for all the chill she was able to muster under the circumstances, blinked twice and couldn’t hold back the fact she was surprised. Surprised at his apparent physical change as with he fact that he was able to summon a weapon in a realm that was technically nowhere and everywhere. He went on. “I have heard enough preposterous musings from a dead man walking to last me seven lifetimes and I grow ever so weary of this farce. Warrior, here me, if we are indeed inside your mind then does it not stand to reason that you may bend reality in this place to suit your desires? I should not be able to conjure weapons in this realm as it is not my dream and yet I can. Know you why this is?” He looked over his shoulder at her perplexed face and grinned. “Because you favor me. Your subconscious does not lie and the words of knowledge you imparted to me makes this realm react to mine own desires.”

For a split second Hades looked unsure. A small flickering of worry crossed his brow that he immediately tried to fix with his glib arrogant persona. “Oh ho! Now there is a spark of the one who’s soul you possess, it’s a shame that’s where the similarities end but make no mistake my great grandson, I will deal with you appropriately in all due time.”

“That’s why you’ve been sufficiently wasting it isn’t it?” Zenos verbally jabbed. “You cannot be sure how powerful the hero really is certainly not within her own mind which you have failed to break. And now let me return the favor, as a wedding gift to my bride. I will hack you from crotch to gizzard, carve your still beating heart out of your chest and present it on a gilded platter to my lady.”

“Hot damn, Zenos….” The hero muttered in awe. Not that verbal threats were her cup of tea but she had to admit that her prince threatening her enemies was a bit of a turn on. She was so used to fighting her own battles she scarcely could register it when someone was trying to defend her and Zenos made it so obvious in his own style. She did not deny that she liked it.

“This day is going all sorts of wrong…” Hades groaned and rolled his eyes. “but I cannot be blamed for not trying to sway you. Every tongue shall speak and ever knee shall bow to the Lord Zodiark weather it be sooner or later. I will not allow you two to interfere any longer! Lets see how well you fair against the strength of a true Paragon! My dearest Persephone, may the Lord Zodiark have mercy on you!”

“I’m sure he has none to spare and neither do I!” Zenos shot back and held he arms out wide to embrace the battle. Allow me, your great grandson to send you back to the grave where you belong Emet Selch. Begone and bother us no more!” He wasted no time launching the first attack, slicing that sleek Katana in a wide arc at his prey that caught it against his ascian clawed hand and countered with a shockwave of black aether, pushing the legatus on his heels some malms back against he backdrop of the burning city.

The hero gasped as Hades made a move towards her but Zenos’s katana stabbed into the ground between them as he shouted at the other man. “Did I not just say that I would be the one to defeat you!? You’ll find me a poor sport when it comes to sharing my prize!”

Hades gritted his teeth in rage as Zenos jumped towards his sword, ripped it from the ground and made another attack, this one catching the top of the ascians gauntlet and hitting it hard enough to cause sparks to fly from metal on metal. It left a visible wound that oozed black aether as the Ascian flinched back.

“Damn!” Hades cursed to himself as he eyed the wound. His great grandson had been spot on in his assessment of this place and as much as he would have liked to of reconstituted himself it was hard to when the hero’s own psyche was so against him. If he had managed to wear down her mental barriers, perhaps made her question herself he would have more luck but her will was damn near unbreakable and her stubborn nature made that impossible for the likes of him. He was outgunned on a stage of his own making.

***************

When the final blow had been dealt, Hades was left crippled under the myriad strikes his wayward progeny had dealt him and he barely had the strength to stand as he doubled over and tried to stifle the aether pouring from his open wounds.

“It’s over Emet Selch.” Zenos stated as he glowered over his foe. “She was never yours to begin with.”

While Hades would have loved to shoot back some quick quip to the smirking legatus his eyes were solely on the hero, who’s brow was knit in both anxiety and anger. She was patient during the entire ordeal, letting Zenos take the lead as he desired and watched on the way a maiden fawning over her chosen knight in battle would have. Her hands laced together in prayer were pressed firmly to her lips but her eyes never blinked, never flinched and burned with so much unspoken emotion.

It was just as he remembered them and oh how he longed to have her look at him so but her love was always for and only for Hythlodaeus, the lucky bastard, whome never returned to him after his betrayel in Amaurot. Emet would have forgiven him, his wayward friend, for even with Persephone between them he still considered him to be the closest person to himself. He would have forgiven his friend of any offense, let alone helping the women they both adored. Perhaps if he had been more honest with his feelings from the start things would not have ended up so poorly and try as he might to make it right in the end, she was always one step ahead of him and against him.

He stood up as straight as he could muster and gave a very long winded sigh. “Does he really mean _that_ much to you?”

She crooked a brow in confusion at his sudden change of pace, after all not moments ago he was hells bent on killing them all. Did the fight with Zenos take out all his pep? Was he finally just too worn down to bother with them anymore?

“You _know_ that he does.” She replied curtly. “But I know you well enough to know you wont just let us waltz our of here alive.”

“Actually that’s exactly what I intend to do.” He rolled his eyes and arched his back in such a way it gave a loud crack. “As Zenos so aptly pointed out, this realm is your own and so long as your mind is made up in favor of him, I cant win here. So I am retreating for now, for how long is for me to know. Do have fun trying to wrangle that body back from Elidibus, I doubt he will so readily return it and if I may ask a personal request…..do not let Garlemald burn to the ground. I did work ever so hard on creating it after all and even if the desired result was unbridled chaos, I do not wish to be entirely wiped from the face of the earth but I have no doubts you will make a excellent Empress, Persephone.” He smiled at her and for once it was soft and genuine but when he turned to Zenos, it quickly turned into a disdainful scowl. “Let it not be said that I was not a man of my word. I made a deal with Zenos if you were to break through your mental torpor I would let the two of go and so i must abode by my own machinations. AS for you my great grandson….You will make a passable husband at best, a pisspoor ruler at worst, and forever more a single mindedly violent took of a barbarian in the eyes of your people and mine. I can only hope the warrior keeps you on a very tight leash and grows so tiresome of you in the future she finally puts an end to you.”

“I shall see that she is never dissatisfied with me for that to even cross her mind.” Zenos said but kept his guard up incase the ascian decided to strike again.

“Ever the enigma, Emet Selch….the eons have not changed that about you.” The hero shook her head and sighed, knowing full well he was too much of a philandering peacock to stay out of trouble for long. Once he had a better opportunity, he would be back for her and she would always have to be at the ready but having Zenos by her side was atleast a decent deterrent for the time being. If he ever rejoined with his original body then in the real world he could definitely give Emet Selch a run for his Gil.

“And with that I bid you love birds ado…..until then.” He gave a flick of his wrist as a goodbye and turned to walk away but not without the hero asking after him.

“Wait….if you had succeeded in rejoining Hythlodaeus, what would you have done?” She asked.

The Ascian paused and looked over his shoulder as he replaced his red convocation mask, refusing to answer her as he dissappeared in a whiff of black aether. Finally leaving the two warriors alone with their perplexing thoughts on all that just happened….and what surprisingly didn’t.

There was not a moment of silence before Zenos roughly grabbed her wrist and yanked her to him, her face smacking into his broad chest as he hoisted her up and kissed her roughly. He made a sound somewhere between a moan and a groan while his tongue caressed hers. She was only surprised for a moment but happily returned the kiss and let her hands run through his luscious hair that she so missed spilling across her pillows at night.

“Zenos…” She panted between kisses. “You've returned! You came!”

“I would follow you to the ends of the earth and the seven hells.” Zenos grunted and kissed her again.

“After I handed you back to the Garleans....I had no idea I was handing you off to Elidibus! I thought I would never see you again!” She confessed.

“Alas the fool ascian did not realize mine own gifts. The resonance allowed my soul to be set free of my flesh and rendered into another that I may track you down. I almost had you again in Ala Mhigo until my great Grandsire felt the need to interfer. On that note, I had no idea you and he may have had some history together….as it would appear we did as well.”

“Trust me this is just as surprising for me.” She admitted. “I'm still not sure what any of this means even with these new memories.”

He pulled away enough to see her face. "You, my beast, have far exceeded my wildest expectations. You are beyond mortals and primals alike, a goddess in every respect and if your words remain true, and I shall not take no for an answer, my betrothed.” He said as he buried his face in her hair and his hands roamed over her entire body.

The hero shivered in delight but realized they were still reliving the final days of Amaurot around them. “Mayhaps we should continue this conversation in the real world…” She began hesitantly only for strong hands to find their way under her buttocks as she was hoisted up, forcing her to wrap her legs around his ever so thick torso to keep from falling over.

“Do not deny me my fill of you when I have waited and labored so long to taste you once again.” Zenos smirked up at her.

“Oh trust me, my prince, I would love to have you ravish me from dusk till dawn but we have a body to fetch and and Ascian to banish.” She reminded him.

He gave a heavy sigh and set her back on her feet. “So be it then.”

“You can bring me out of this?” She looked around at the burning city one last time.

“Easily. look at me hero.” He commanded and she did, staring into familiar blue orbs once again. There was a pause before he closed his lids, then opened them again to reveal black sclera and red iris’s of resonant eyes. Something akin to a telekinetic wave hit her senses as vertigo overtook her, the world spun again and suddenly she was looking up at the smug face of Solus Zos Galvus who hovered dangerously close over her body.

Of course she screamed and attacked without thinking, throwing a right handed punch at that Garlean hooked nose of his which he dodged easily and caught her countering left hook in the palm of his gloved hand.

“Tis me, warrior!” He claimed as she kicked him hard in the stomach, driving him back away from the gourney enough for her to jump off and come at him legs flying first. He dodged her artfully even though the body he possessed was not his own but didn’t manage to catch her upward kick that found its mark squarely between his legs. He kept a straight face as pain radiated from his groin up to his stomach and swallowed back the desire to groan as most men would do if kicked in the jollies. “My beast! It is me! I merely borrowed this body!” He managed to say without his voice breaking but in the back of his mind even he had to admit, that bloody hurt.

She instantly froze and looked over her shoulder with a quizzical look. “You could have warned me first! Of all the people to possesses, did it have to be him?”

“Time left me with little alternative and had I pursued my original body I would not have made it in time to save you.” He pointed out and shook off the last vestiges of pain from his loins then gave her a long hard once over for the fact she was a rather revealing Garlean gown. Solus’s choice no less.

“Pray tell what were you and my grandsire engaging in before I so aptly arrived?” He asked with just a hint of jealousy at the edge of his voice.

The hero plucked at the fabric of her dress. “This dress was not my choice and he didn’t lay a hand on me….though he tried.”

“I can’t fault his choice….”Zenos admitted and took a step closer with the intention of touching her but he looked at the gloved hands which weren’t his and shook his head. Not in this body. “I must needs retrieve my body.”

The hero rubbed her face to shake off the last pulsating headache that came as an after effect of the machine and thought for a moment. “He damn near almost killed me out in Ghimlyt Dark….I cant go up against him without a plan first.”

“I should tell you when I arrived at the castle gates, an old aquaintence of yours was present. A certain Azure Dragoon and one former defected Legatus.”

That perked her interest. “Azure Dragoon? Estinien?!”

“And Gaius Van Baelsar.” He added. “They were headed towards the dias while I averted to come fetch you.”

“By the twelve this day keeps getting more and more strange!” She exclaimed and touched her chin. “That may help us though. I don’t think Elidibus is aware of what happened here or that Emet Selch retreated.”

Zenos raised a brow and caught on to her meaning. “Then shall we interrupt their congregation?”

“I think its long overdue. Even in a black evening gown I'll give that arse a good one-two.” She smirked and cracked her knuckles. He held out his arm for her as she linked it in his and they exited the dreary laboratory.


End file.
